The physiological need or craving for water or other liquids. Also used metaphorically to describe a strong desire or craving for something.
From Old English 'thurst,' related to Germanic roots meaning 'to dry up.' The word shares ancestry with Dutch 'dorst' and German 'Durst,' all stemming from Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to be dry.'
Your brain can detect thirst before you've actually lost any significant amount of water - it's triggered by as little as a 1-2% decrease in blood volume. Interestingly, the metaphorical use of 'thirst' for desire dates back to Old English poetry.
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