-vorous

word-forming element meaning "eating," from Latin -vorous, from stem of vorare "to devour" (from PIE root *gwora- "food, devouring").

Entries related to -vorous

*gwora-

also *gwera-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "food, devouring."

It forms all or part of: carnivorous; devour; gorge; gurges; hellebore; herbivore; herbivorous; insectivore; locavore; omnivorous; voracious; voracity; -vorous.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit girati "devours, swallows," garah "drink;" Avestan aspo-gar- "devouring horses," nere-gar- "devouring men;" Greek bobroskein "to eat, digest," brotos "edible," brosis "eating," bora "fodder;" Latin vorare "to swallow, devour;" Armenian e-ker "ate;" Lithuanian gerti "to drink," gìrtas "drunk;" Old Church Slavonic žiro "to swallow," grŭlo "gullet," po-žreti "to eat" (of animals), "to devour."

cancrivorous (adj.)

"crab-eating," 1885, from combining form of Latin cancer "crab" (see cancer) + -vorous "eating."