polyphagia

[ pol-ee-fey-jee-uh, -juh ]

See synonyms for polyphagia on Thesaurus.com

noun

Pathology. excessive desire to eat.
Zoology. the habit of subsisting on many different kinds of food.

Origin of polyphagia

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use polyphagia in a sentence

polyphagia may therefore be a result as well as a cause of dilatation of the stomach.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II | Various
A Greek prefix for much or many, ex: polyphagia, excessive eating.
Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry | Maximilian Stern

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

Origin of polyphagia

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

Derived forms of polyphagia

polyphagous (pəˈlɪfəɡəs), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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