English▸ adjective strongly wanting to do or have something:
the man was eager to please
young intellectuals eager for knowledge.
▪ (of a person's expression or tone of voice) keenly expectant or interested:
small eager faces looked up and listened.
– ORIGIN Middle English (also in the sense ‘pungent, sour’): from Old French aigre ‘keen’, from Latin acer, acr- ‘sharp, pungent’.