polyphagia

[ pol-ee-fey-jee-uh, -juh ]
See synonyms for polyphagia on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Pathology. excessive desire to eat.

  2. Zoology. the habit of subsisting on many different kinds of food.

Origin of polyphagia

1
1685–95; <New Latin <Greek polyphagía;see poly-, -phagy

Other words from polyphagia

  • pol·y·pha·gi·an, noun, adjective
  • po·lyph·a·gist [puh-lif-uh-jist], /pəˈlɪf ə dʒɪst/, noun
  • po·lyph·a·gous [puh-lif-uh-guhs], /pəˈlɪf ə gəs/, pol·y·phag·ic [pol-ee-faj-ik, -fey-jik], /ˌpɒl iˈfædʒ ɪk, -ˈfeɪ dʒɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby polyphagia

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How to use polyphagia in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for polyphagia

polyphagia

/ (ˌpɒlɪˈfeɪdʒə) /


noun
    • an abnormal desire to consume excessive amounts of food, esp as the result of a neurological disorder

    • an insatiable appetite

  1. the habit of certain animals, esp certain insects, of feeding on many different types of food

Origin of polyphagia

1
C17: New Latin, from Greek, from poluphagos eating much; see poly-, -phagy

Derived forms of polyphagia

  • polyphagous (pəˈlɪfəɡəs), adjective

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