geophagy
pronunciation
How to pronounce geophagy in British English:
UK [dʒi:'ɒfədʒɪ]
How to pronounce geophagy in American English:
US [dʒi'ɒfədʒɪ]
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- Noun:
- eating earth or clay or chalk; occurs in some primitive tribes or sometimes in cases of nutritional deficiency
Word Origin
- geophagy (n.)
- "dirt-eating," 1820, from Greek *geophagia (according to OED the actual Greek is geotragia), from geo-, comb. form of ge "earth" (see Gaia) + phagein "to eat." See also pica (n.2). A diseased appetite ... prevails in several parts of Alabama, where they eat clay. I heard various speculations on the origin of this singular propensity, called 'geophagy' in some medical books. [Lyell, "Second Visit to U.S.," 1850]
Example
- 1. People can often get more of these nutrients from geophagy than from taking vitamin supplements .