thirst

Everyday

1. Thirst is the feeling of needing or wanting to drink. tree →
2. Thirst for something means a strong wish for it: a thirst for knowledge, a thirst for adventure. tree →

In the lessons

In science and health, thirst is the body's signal that it needs water; children should drink water regularly, especially in hot weather and during sport, because losing too much water (dehydration) causes headaches and tiredness. Animals in deserts survive thirst in clever ways (camels, desert frogs). In stories, «dying of thirst» shows danger in a desert or at sea. Phrases: quench your thirst, die of thirst, a thirst for knowledge.

Examples

• After the race, I had a terrible thirst. tree →
• Water is the best drink to quench your thirst. tree →
• Camels can go for days without suffering from thirst. tree →
• Salty crisps give me a thirst. tree →
• The sailors nearly died of thirst on the open sea. tree →
• She has a real thirst for knowledge and reads everything. tree →
• Don't wait for thirst — sip water during hot days. tree →
• But still his thirst was not quenched. tree →

Note

Noun «thirst» is uncountable; adjective «thirsty». Fact for safety: sea water does not quench thirst — its salt makes you thirstier. By the time you feel thirsty, your body already needs water.

In Jewish tradition

In the wilderness the people's thirst made them complain against Moses. The prophets and psalms also use thirst for the need of people and animals for water, and for suffering and hardship.

Interpretation. The water that came from the rock is read as a sign of God's care, and some say the water followed Israel through the desert.

Examples

• And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?' (Torah EXO.17.3, JPS 1917) tree →
• In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst. (Prophets AMO.8.13, JPS 1917) tree →
• They give drink to every beast of the field, the wild asses quench their thirst. (Writings PSA.104.11, JPS 1917) tree →
• They make oil within the rows of these men; they tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst. (Writings JOB.24.11, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Noun «thirst» is uncountable; adjective «thirsty». Fact for safety: sea water does not quench thirst — its salt makes you thirstier. By the time you feel thirsty, your body already needs water.