Dictionary / eager
eager
- adjective
- verb
- from Old French
Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “eager” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
adjective
- Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
Stacey is very eager to go cycling this weekend.
- Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
an eager algorithm
Older & obsolete senses (3)
- datedBrittle; inflexible; not ductile.
- obsoleteSharp; sour; acid.
- figurativelyobsoleteSharp; keen; bitter; severe.
verb
- intransitiveTo be or become eager.
Now everybody considered it a high privilege (valued it at a high consideration) to see him and to hear him speak, and to obey his command (him commanding), whereas he, though being such a person, eagered to be unknown, and to escape notice in solitude.1864, The Fathers, Historians, and Writers of the Church, page 121:
- intransitiveTo express eagerness.
His hair crinkled towards her fondly. "Yes," he eagered.1924, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Punch - Volume 167, page 181:
- transitiveTo make or encourage to be eager
Physicians also admit to eagering patients to turn to specialised web sites in order to read further.2013, Andrzej Łyda, Krystyna Warchał, Occupying Niches, page 135:
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
- nouna high wave (often dangerous) caused by tidal flow (as by colliding tidal currents or in a narrow estuary) — also: tidal bore, bore, eagre, aegir
- adjectivehaving or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
Synonyms: bursting, keen, solicitous, raring, alacritous, athirst, fain, hot
Antonyms: averse, disinclined, reluctant, unwilling
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)eager
- Middle Englishegre
- Old Frenchaigre
- Latinācrus
Inherited from Middle English egre, eger, from Old French aigre, egre (modern French aigre), from Latin ācrus, variant of ācer (“sharp, keen”); see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.
Derivatives — words built from “eager”
Phrases & compounds
Want to go deeper? See also “eager” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “eager” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “eager”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
eager a. [OE. egre sharp, sour, eager, OF. agre, aigre, F. aigre, fr. L. acer sharp, sour, spirited, zealous; akin to Gr. a point; fr. a root signifying to be sharp. Cf. Acrid, Edge.]
- Sharp; sour; acid.
- Sharp; keen; bitter; severe.
- Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain; keenly desirous; hotly longing; earnest; zealous; impetuous; vehement; as, the hounds were eager in the chase.
- Brittle; inflexible; not ductile.
eager n.
- Same as Eagre.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
adjectiveMeaning: Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
Stacey is very eager to go cycling this weekend.
The hounds were eager in the chase.
adjectiveMeaning: Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
an eager algorithm
verbMeaning: To be or become eager.
Now everybody considered it a high privilege (valued it at a high consideration) to see him and to hear him speak, and to obey his command (him commanding), whereas he, though being such a person, eagered to be unknown, and to escape notice in solitude.1864, The Fathers, Historians, and Writers of the Church, page 121:
Our spirits fret and chafe like sea waves on the rocks eagering to climb the shore.1913, William Alfred Quayle, The Climb to God, page 116:
verbMeaning: To express eagerness.
His hair crinkled towards her fondly. "Yes," he eagered.1924, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Punch - Volume 167, page 181:
Peg! eager voices eagered voicely.1969, Kenneth Patchen, Sleepers Awake, page 141:
verbMeaning: To make or encourage to be eager
Physicians also admit to eagering patients to turn to specialised web sites in order to read further.2013, Andrzej Łyda, Krystyna Warchał, Occupying Niches, page 135:
But they only eagered him to be off .1927, Carleton Beals, Brimstone and Chili:
adjectiveMeaning: having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
eager to learn
eager to travel abroad
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
eager
/ˈiɡɚ/ · ea·ger
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
eager
/ˈiɡɚ/ · ea·ger · adjective, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “eager” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“Stacey is very eager to go cycling this weekend.”
Circle the meaning used.
“an eager algorithm”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “eager” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — eager
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
Which meaning, sentence 2: A. Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
Origin: C. Old French (Old French aigre)
Journey: English eager ← Middle English egre ← Old French aigre ← Latin ācrus
Some derivatives: beeregar, eagerish, eagerly, eagerness, eagersome, overeager, uneager
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English egre, eger, from Old French aigre, egre (modern French aigre), from Latin ācrus, variant of ācer (“sharp, keen”); see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.
Sources: Wiktionary “eager” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eager#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/eager