Thirst

Thirst

Thirst is the craving for fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids and/or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, such as salt. If the water volume of the body falls below a certain threshold or the osmolite concentration becomes too high, the brain signals thirst.

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Famous quotes containing the word thirst:

    “We have ... a thirst unquenchable, to allay which he has not shown us the crystal springs. This thirst belongs to the immortality of Man.... It is no mere appreciation of the Beauty before us—but a wild effort to reach the Beauty above.”
    —Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)

    “Refuse them!
    If we too miss out, don’t create our lives,
    invent or deeds, do them, dance
    a tune with our own feet,
    we shall thirst in Hades,
    in the blood of our children.”
    —Denise Levertov (b. 1923)

    “How prompt we are to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our bodies; how slow to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls!”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)