Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Eager

Ea′ger

,
Adj.
[OE.
egre
sharp, sour, eager, OF.
agre
,
aigre
, F.
aigre
, fr. L.
acer
sharp, sour, spirited, zealous; akin to Gr. [GREEK] highest, extreme, Skr.
a[GREEK]ra
point; fr. a root signifying
to be sharp
. Cf.
Acrid
,
Edge
.]
1.
Sharp; sour; acid.
[Obs.]
“Like eager droppings into milk.”
Shak.
2.
Sharp; keen; bitter; severe.
[Obs.]
“A nipping and an eager air.” “Eager words.”
Shak.
3.
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
.
And gazed for tidings in my
eager
eyes.
Shakespeare
How
eagerly
ye follow my disgraces!
Shakespeare
When to her
eager
lips is brought
Her infant’s thrilling kiss.
Keble.
A crowd of
eager
and curious schoolboys.
Hawthorne.
Conceit and grief an
eager
combat fight.
Shakespeare
4.
Brittle; inflexible; not ductile.
[Obs.]
Syn. – Earnest; ardent; vehement; hot; impetuous; fervent; intense; impassioned; zealous; forward.
See
Earnest
. –
Eager
,
Earnest
. Eager marks an excited state of desire or passion; thus, a child is eager for a plaything, a hungry man is eager for food, a covetous man is eager for gain. Eagerness is liable to frequent abuses, and is good or bad, as the case may be. It relates to what is praiseworthy or the contrary. Earnest denotes a permanent state of mind, feeling, or sentiment. It is always taken in a good sense;
as, a preacher is
earnest
in his appeals to the conscience; an agent is
earnest
in his solicitations
.

Ea′ger

,
Noun.
Same as
Eagre
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Eager

E'AGER

,
Adj.
[L. acer, fierce, brisk, sharp, sour; acus, Eng.edge.]
1.
Excited by ardent desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform or obtain; inflamed by desire; ardently wishing or longing. The soldiers were eager to engage the enemy. Men are eager in the pursuit of wealth. The lover is eager to possess the object of his affections.
2.
Ardent; vehement; impetuous; as eager spirits; eager zeal; eager clamors.
3.
Sharp; sour; acid; as eager droppings into milk. [Little used.]
4.
Sharp; keen; biting; severe; as eager air; eager cold. [Little used.]
5.
Brittle; inflexible; not ductile; as, the gold is too eager. [Local.]

Definition 2024


eager

eager

See also: eagre

English

Adjective

eager (comparative eagerer, superlative eagerest)

  1. (obsolete) Sharp; sour; acid.
    • Shakespeare
      like eager droppings into milk
  2. (obsolete) Sharp; keen; bitter; severe.
    • Shakespeare
      eager words
    • Shakespeare
      a nipping and an eager air
  3. (Can we clean up(+) this sense?) Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain; keenly desirous; hotly longing; earnest; zealous; impetuous; vehement.
    • Keble
      When to her eager lips is brought / Her infant's thrilling kiss.
    • Hawthorne
      a crowd of eager and curious schoolboys
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess:
      When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. []. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.
    The hounds were eager in the chase.
    I was eager to show my teacher how much I'd learned over the holidays.
    You stayed up all night to get to the front of the queue. You must be very eager to get tickets.
  4. Brittle; inflexible; not ductile.
    • John Locke
      Gold will be sometimes so eager, as artists call it, that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself.
  5. (computing theory) Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
    an eager algorithm
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

See eagre.

Noun

eager (plural eagers)

  1. Alternative form of eagre (tidal bore).

Anagrams