orexis

American

[aw-rek-sis, oh-rek-] / ɔˈrɛk sɪs, oʊˈrɛk- /

noun

Psychology.

the affective and conative character of mental activity as contrasted with its cognitive aspect; the appetitive aspect of an act.

1610–20; < Latin: longing, appetite < Greek órexis desire, equivalent to orég(ein) to desire + -sis -sis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023