omnivorous

The word 'omnivorous' is a direct borrowing from New Latin omnivorus, which itself is a compound of two classical Latin elements: omnis meaning "all" and vorare meaning "to devour". The literal construction "all-devouring" perfectly captures the biological definition of an animal that consumes both plant and animal matter. This concrete meaning was later extended metaphorically in the 17th century to describe a person with an insatiable or wide-ranging appetite for intellectual or cultural pursuits, such as reading all types of books or enjoying all forms of art. The logic from its ancient roots to its modern abstract meaning is transparent, moving from a physical description of consumption to a figurative one for mental or aesthetic consumption.

Structure: omni (all) + vor (devour) + ous (adjective suffix) - omni: Latin origin, meaning "all". A combining form indicating totality. - vor: Latin origin, from the verb vorare, meaning "to devour, swallow greedily". A root indicating eating. - ous: English suffix of Latin origin (-osus), forming adjectives meaning "full of, characterized by, having the qualities of".