Both Uses of
devour
in
To Kill a Mockingbird
- We stood watching the street fill with men and cars while fire silently devoured Miss Maudie's house.
p. 78.6 *devoured = destroyed
- Dill devoured it, chewing with his front teeth, as was his custom.
p. 158.7 *devoured = ate rapidly and completely
Definitions:
-
(1)
(devour as in: devoured three sandwiches) eat rapidly and completely -- usually due to being very hungry
-
(2)
(devour as in: devours crime novels) to read, listen, or watch with eager interest
-
(3)
(devour as in: devoured by flames) to completely consume, destroy, or engulf (surround or cover)
-
(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
If you're comfortable with the word consume in its broadest sense, you might think of every meaning of devour as meaning consume.