polyphagia

American  

[pol-ee-fey-jee-uh, -juh] / ˌpɒl iˈfeɪ dʒi ə, -dʒə /

noun

1. Pathology. excessive desire to eat.

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

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polyphagia British  

/ ˌpɒlɪˈfeɪdʒə, pəˈlɪfəɡəs /

noun

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

   2. an insatiable appetite

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

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Other Word Forms

• polyphagian
  noun
• polyphagic
  adjective
• polyphagist
  noun
• polyphagous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of polyphagia

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