1520s, from Middle French voracité (14c.) or directly from Latin voracitatem (nominative voracitas) "greediness, ravenousness," from vorax (genitive voracis) "greedy," from vorare "to devour," from PIE root *gwer- "to swallow, devour" (cf. Sanskrit girati "he swallows," garah "drink;" Greek bora "food;" Lithuanian geriu "to drink;" Old Church Slavonic ziro "to swallow," grulo "gullet").