The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Famish \Fam"ish\, v. i.
   1. To die of hunger; to starve.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To suffer extreme hunger or thirst, so as to be exhausted
      in strength, or to come near to perish.
      [1913 Webster]

            You are all resolved rather to die than to famish?
                                                  --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To suffer extremity from deprivation of anything essential
      or necessary.
      [1913 Webster]

            The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous
            to famish.                            --Prov. x. 3.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Famish \Fam"ish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Famished; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Famishing.] [OE. famen; cf. OF. afamer, L. fames. See
   Famine, and cf. Affamish.]
   1. To starve, kill, or destroy with hunger. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To exhaust the strength or endurance of, by hunger; to
      distress with hanger.
      [1913 Webster]

            And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the
            people cried to Pharaoh for bread.    --Cen. xli.
                                                  55.
      [1913 Webster]

            The pains of famished Tantalus he'll feel. --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To kill, or to cause to suffer extremity, by deprivation
      or denial of anything necessary.
      [1913 Webster]

            And famish him of breath, if not of bread. --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. To force or constrain by famine.
      [1913 Webster]

            He had famished Paris into a surrender. --Burke.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

famish
    v 1: be hungry; go without food; "Let's eat--I'm starving!"
         [syn: starve, hunger, famish] [ant: be full]
    2: deprive of food; "They starved the prisoners" [syn: starve,
       famish] [ant: feed, give]
    3: die of food deprivation; "The political prisoners starved to
       death"; "Many famished in the countryside during the drought"
       [syn: starve, famish]