To starve or cause extreme hunger; to deprive of food.
From Middle English 'affamisshen', combining 'a-' (to) + 'famish' (to starve), from Old French 'affamer'. The 'a-' prefix intensifies the root 'famish', creating a strengthened version of starvation.
This word is basically 'famish on steroids'—the 'a-' prefix doesn't just mean 'to famish,' it means 'to really, extremely famish.' Medieval writers used such intensified verbs constantly, stacking prefixes like we stack toppings on pizza.
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