devour

Everyday

1. To eat something quickly and hungrily, often all of it. tree →
2. To read, watch or take in something eagerly and quickly: «She devoured the book». tree →
3. To destroy something completely: «The fire devoured the forest». tree →
4. (of a feeling) To fill someone completely: «devoured by jealousy». tree →

In the lessons

In science: predators devour their prey (food chains). In stories and fairy tales: wolves, dragons and giants devour; the Bible says the devil «prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour». In reading: children devour books they love. Phrases: «devour a meal», «devour books», «devoured by flames».

Examples

• The hungry boys devoured the pizza in minutes. tree →
• The lion devoured its prey. tree →
• Ellie devoured the whole series of books in a week. tree →
• The fire devoured the old barn. tree →
• In the story, the wolf wanted to devour Little Red Riding Hood. tree →
• The caterpillars devoured our cabbages. tree →
• He was devoured by curiosity about the locked box. tree →
• The dogs come and devour the bacon. tree →

Note

Regular verb. Stronger than «eat»: it shows speed and greed. Pronounced dih-VOW-er. Do not confuse with «devout» (very religious).

In Jewish tradition

God's holiness is pictured as a devouring fire; fire from God devoured Nadab and Abihu when they offered wrongly. The Psalms use devouring as a picture for enemies who ruin a people, for fire that kills the young, and for harmful words.

Interpretation. Tradition reads God as a jealous God who demands exact loyalty, and some commentators say Nadab and Abihu died from coming too close to holiness. The psalms' devouring is read as a cry to God against nations who destroyed Israel.

Examples

• For the LORD thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. (Torah DEU.4.24, JPS 1917) tree →
• And there came forth fire from before the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. (Torah LEV.10.2, JPS 1917) tree →
• Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price. (Torah GEN.31.15, JPS 1917) tree →
• Thou lovest all devouring words, the deceitful tongue. (Writings PSA.52.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his habitation. (Writings PSA.79.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins had no marriage-song. (Writings PSA.78.63, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Regular verb. Stronger than «eat»: it shows speed and greed. Pronounced dih-VOW-er. Do not confuse with «devout» (very religious).