geophagy

1 9.9

Eating dirt, clay, or chalk, often to get minerals missing from the diet

noun
/ˈdʒiːəˌfædʒi/

Specialized

: geofagia

Reports of geophagy have been documented among certain tribal communities around the world.

Examples

Some animals display geophagy to obtain minerals absent from their regular diet.
The medical team investigated whether her geophagy was linked to iron deficiency anemia.
Some cultures practice geophagy for medicinal purposes.
In certain regions, geophagy is a common tradition.
In some cultures, people practice geophagy by eating clay for its supposed health benefits.
Certain animals, such as elephants, partake in geophagy to gain minerals from the soil.
Among some communities, geophagy is a traditional practice that is believed to help with digestion.

Synonyms

geophagia

vsgeophagy

Specialized

1 9.9

Eating soil or clay regularly, often because the body needs minerals

is the variant form used interchangeably in cultural and animal nutrition contexts

Surface Forms

geophagy singular

geophagies plural

Morphology

geophagy = geo + phagy

The word is compositionally built from the learned elements geo- and phagy, but these classical forms are not fully transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Geophagy breaks into two parts: geo- meaning 'earth', as in geography, and -phagy meaning 'eating'. So geophagy literally means 'eating earth', which is why it describes the practice of eating clay, chalk, or soil.