thirst
n. C / Un. the feeling of needing to drink something. You also use it to describe a very strong desire for something else, like knowledge or power.
n. a physical sensation of needing to consume liquid; figuratively, a strong or eager desire for something. Uncountable when referring to the physical sensation; often takes the preposition 'for' in its figurative sense.
He drank a large glass of water to satisfy his thirst.
After hiking for three hours in the summer heat, her thirst was almost unbearable.
The young scholar's unquenchable thirst for knowledge led her to spend every weekend in the archives, meticulously cataloging forgotten manuscripts.
From Middle English thirst, thurst, from Old English þurst, from Proto-West Germanic þurstu, from Proto-Germanic þurstuz, from Proto-Indo-European *ters- (“dry”). Germanic cognates include Old High German thurst, Middle High German durst, German Durst, Old Saxon thurst, Old Dutch thursti, Middle Dutch dorst, dorste, Dutch dorst, Old Norse þorsti (Swedish törst, Icelandic þorsti, Danish tørst, Norwegian tørst). Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek τέρσομαι (térsomai), Albanian djersë (“sweat”), Sanskrit तृष्णा (tṛṣṇā, “desire; thirst”), Sanskrit तृष्यति (tṛ́ṣyati), Latin terra, Latin torridus.
Often paired with the verbs 'quench' or 'slake' in formal contexts; takes the preposition 'for' when describing a desire.