Ravenous (adjective) – very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or gratification

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ravenous

From “The Shawl” By Cynthia Ozick

I came across this word while reading “The Shawl” By Cynthia Ozick. It appears around the beginnning of the reading, as the author talks about how the girl is trying to feed the baby but she isn’t nourished enough to produce enough food for her. It caught my interest because it’s a word that i’ve heard before but isn’t used quite often. So i’m curious as to how it ties in with the sentence and the author’s overall point.

“There was not enough milk; sometimes Magda sucked air; then she screamed. Stella was ravenous.” (Ozick).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing how the girl really wants food not only for herself but so she can feed the baby.