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geophagy

[jee-of-uh-jee]

Origin

noun

the practice of eating earthy matter, especially clay or chalk, as in famine-stricken areas.

Also, ge·o·pha·gia

[jee-uh-fey-juh, -jee-uh] , ge·oph·a·gism

[jee-of-uh-jiz-uhm] .

Origin:
1840–50; geo- + -phagy

Related forms

ge·oph·a·gist, noun

ge·oph·a·gous

[jee-of-uh-guhs] , adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Geophagy is always a great word to know.

So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

geophagy, geophagia or geophagism (dʒɪˈɒfədʒɪ, ˌdʒɪəˈfeɪdʒə, -dʒɪə, dʒɪˈɒfədʒɪzəm)

—n
1.	the practice of eating earth, clay, chalk, etc, found in some primitive tribes
2.	zoology the habit of some animals, esp earthworms, of eating soil

geophagia, geophagia or geophagism

—n

geophagism, geophagia or geophagism

—n

ge'ophagist, geophagia or geophagism

—n

geophagous, geophagia or geophagism

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

geophagy

"dirt-eating," 1850, from Gk. *geophagia (the actual Gk. was geotragia), from geo-, comb. form of ge "earth" + phagein "to eat."

EXPAND

"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, 1850]

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

geophagy ge·oph·a·gy (jē-ŏf'ə-jē) or ge·oph·a·gism (-jĭz'əm) or ge·o·pha·gia (jē'ə-fā'jə)
n.
The eating of earthy substances, such as clay or chalk, that is practiced as a custom or for dietary or subsistence reasons. Also called dirt-eating.

ge·oph'a·gist n.

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