Starve comes from Old English steorfan, a general verb for dying. English narrowed the word toward death or suffering from deprivation, especially hunger. German sterben helps reveal the broader historical meaning.
starve
To suffer or die from a lack of food.
Before it meant that.
How starve reached English
oldest firstOld English
steorfan
‘Die’
became Middle English
Middle English
sterven
‘Die; starve’
became English
English
starve
‘Suffer from lack of food’
The story of starve
Related
Sometimes an apparent foreign false friend preserves the earlier English sense.