żreć

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *žerti (stem *žьr-), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *gerˀtei (“devour, lap up”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerh₃- (“devour”).

Baltic cognates include Lithuanian gerti (“to drink”), Latvian dzer̂t (“to drink”).

Indo-European cognates include Old English acworren, Proto-Germanic *kwerraną (“devour”), Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬭- (gar-, “swallow up”), Old Armenian կերի (keri, “I ate”), Ancient Greek βιβρώσκω (bibrṓskō, “eat up”), βορά (borá, “food”), Latin vorō (“I devour”), Sanskrit गिरति (giráti, “devour”). See also gardło (“throat”) and źródło (“source”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʐrɛt͡ɕ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛt͡ɕ
• Syllabification: żreć

Verb

żreć impf

1. (transitive, colloquial, of animals) to consume, to eat, to ingest

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:jeść

2. (transitive, colloquial, derogatory, of people) to devour, to gobble, to gorge, to stuff oneself (to eat greedily)

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:jeść

3. (transitive, colloquial, of devices) to eat up (to consume excessively some resources of energy or money)

   Synonym: zżerać

   żreć prąd ― to eat up electricity

4. (transitive, colloquial, of rust and chemical substances) to gnaw (to corrode; to fret away; to waste)

   Synonyms: przeżerać, zżerać

5. (transitive, colloquial, of feelings and sensations) to eat away at (to take over and torment someone)

   Synonyms: zjadać, zżerać

6. (transitive, colloquial) to sting (to puncture with the stinger)

   Synonyms: kąsać, zżerać

7. (transitive, colloquial) to cause a burning sensation
8. (intransitive, colloquial) to proceed in a successful and prosperous manner
9. (reflexive with się, colloquial) to bite one another

   Synonym: gryźć się

10. (reflexive with się, colloquial) to not match, to not fit together

    Synonym: gryźć się

11. (reflexive with się, colloquial, derogatory) to quarrel, to wrangle

    Synonyms: czubić się, gryźć się, kłócić się, sprzeczać się, ujadać się, użerać się, zżerać się

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

References

Further reading

• żreć in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• żreć in Polish dictionaries at PWN