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thirsty

thirsty

2 4.7
Able to soak up a lot of water
  • adjective
  • /ˈθɜrsti/
translation icon : absorbente

Examples

  • My face feels so thirsty and dry.

  • Listen, I'm a little thirsty.

  • It is a thirsty mirror.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • If your hair is thirsty but your pockets are empty, don't let it starve.

    Blog text (34)
  • Thirsty and fast-growing, melaleuca was brought to this country in 1906 and widely planted in an attempt to dry up Florida marshes and swamps.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The thirsty ground absorbed all the rainwater during the storm.

  • These thirsty plants need watering before they wilt in the heat.

  • The sponge is very thirsty and quickly soaks up any liquid spilled on the table.

Antonyms

A material that does not soak up liquids

Idioms

Eager to try new and exciting things

How Absorbent

thirsty
2 4.7

Surface Forms

thirsty positive

Morphology

thirsty = thirst (semi-transparent) = thirst + y

The adjective is formed from 'thirst' + '-y' but used to describe absorbency of materials (a technical/metaphorical extension), which may not be immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Thirsty comes from the root thirst, meaning 'to want to drink', and people gave this word to things that take in liquid. So a sponge or towel is thirsty because it soaks up water like a mouth drinking.