geophagy


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ge·oph·a·gy

 (jē-ŏf′ə-jē)
n.
The eating of earthy substances, such as clay or chalk, practiced among various peoples as a custom or for dietary or subsistence reasons.
ge·oph′a·gism n.
ge·oph′a·gist n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

geophagy

(dʒɪˈɒfədʒɪ) ,

geophagia

or

geophagism

n
1. (Anthropology & Ethnology) the practice of eating earth, clay, chalk, etc, found in some primitive tribes
2. (Zoology) zoology the habit of some animals, esp earthworms, of eating soil
geˈophagist n
geophagous adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ge•oph•a•gy

(dʒiˈɒf ə dʒi)

also ge•o•pha•gia

(ˌdʒi əˈfeɪ dʒə, -dʒi ə)

n.
the practice of eating earthy matter, esp. clay or chalk, as in famine-stricken areas.
[1840–50]
ge•oph′a•gous (-gəs) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

geophagism, geophagy, geophagia

the eating of earthy matter, especially clay or chalk. — geophagist, n. — geophagous, adj.
See also: Earth
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.geophagy - eating earth, clay, chalk; occurs in some primitive tribes, sometimes in cases of nutritional deficiency or obsessive behavior
geophagia
pica - an eating disorder, frequent in children, in which non-nutritional objects are eaten persistently
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

ge·o·pha·gi·a

, geophagism, geophagy
n. geofagia, geofagismo, propensión a comer sustancias terrosas tales como tierra o barro.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
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References in periodicals archive ?
Geophagy during pregnancy in Africa: A literature review.
Prospective case-series analysis of haematological malignancies in goldmining areas in South Africa
Formative research on hygiene behaviors and geophagy among infants and young children and implications of exposure to fecal bacteria.
Associations between High Temperature, Heavy Rainfall, and Diarrhea among Young Children in Rural Tamil Nadu, India: A Prospective Cohort Study
1998: Natural licks and geophagy (soil ingestion) by large mammal species in the rain forest of the Central African Republic.
Activity and social behaviour of four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis de Blainville, 1816) in tropical deciduous forests of Aravalli mountain range, Western India
Consumption of soils (geophagy) by animals occurs in several classes of vertebrates and is well-known and widespread (Brightsmith.
Use of Fine-textured, Mineral-rich Soils by a Northern Flicker (Colaptes aura t us) in North central British Columbia
Can geophagy mitigate enteric methane emission from cattle?
Influence of kaolinite clay supplementation on growth performance and digestive function in finishing calf-fed holstein steers
Effects of weather on parrot geophagy in Tambopata, Peru.
Blood biochemical values of wild scarlet macaw (Ara macao macao) nestlings and adults
magna by drinking water or consuming wet soils at mineral licks (geophagy), a common behavior in cervids (Weeks and Kirkpatrick 1976, Fraser et al.
Giant liver fluke and moose: Just a fluke?
The toxic compounds in the soil can be absorbed by humans through direct skin contact, inhalation, ingestion of percolated water or geophagy (Watanabe & Hirayama, 2001; Van De Wiele, Verstraete, & Siciliano, 2004).
Mutagenic effect of contaminated soil on the offspring of exposed rats/ Efeito mutagenico da exposicao a solos contaminados sobre a prole
Wild Things offers a diverse collection of chapters on environmental history, ranging in coverage geographically from North America, Germany and Britain through Madagascar and Haiti, temporally from the mid-nineteenth through the early twenty-first centuries, and topically from hunting and wildlife, colonial and post-colonial encounters with nature, through German folk tales, geophagy and Cold War-era underwater laboratories.
Wild Things: Nature and the Social Imagination
One study demonstrating soil ingestion, or geophagy, by bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in Alberta, Canada found their feces contained as much as 30% soil in some samples (Skipworth 1974).
Nelson's big horn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) trample Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) burrow at a California wind energy facility

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