释义 |
‖ polyphagia|pɒlɪˈfeɪdʒɪə| Also in anglicized form polyphagy |pəˈlɪfədʒɪ|. [mod.L., a. Gr. πολυϕαγία, f. πολυϕάγος: see polyphagous. So F. polyphagie.] 1. Phys. and Path. Excessive eating, or desire for eating: voracious or ravenous appetite, esp. as a morbid symptom.
1693tr. Blancard's Phys. Dict. (ed. 2), Polyphagia, the taking much Aliment. 1802Med. Jrnl. VIII. 285 Cit. Percy..concludes from the numerous examples of Polyphagy which he has collected, that the unhappy subjects of it most frequently find the end of their miseries in death before the age of forty years. 1866A. Flint Princ. Med. (1880) 474 The polyphagia which attends diabetes thus becomes a cause of dilatation. 1946Nature 28 Sept. 454/1 Such animals [sc. diabetic rabbits]..exhibited classical symptoms of diabetes mellitus—hyperglycæmia, glycosuria, polyuria, polyphagia. 2. Zool. The habit of feeding on various kinds of food; polyphagous character.
1890in Cent. Dict. 1907W. R. Fisher Schlich's Man. Forestry (ed. 2) IV. iv. 158 Observations are not yet complete regarding the monophagy, or polyphagy of certain insects. 1950New Biol. VIII. 64 Predaceous insects, spiders, birds and so on, exhibiting various degrees of polyphagy (i.e. eating more than one kind of food) usually come into the picture. 1965B. E. Freeman tr. Vandel's Biospeleol. xix. 337 The categories which have been recognised must remain fluid because of the marked tendency of cavernicoles towards polyphagia. 1970K. R. Norris in Insects of Australia (Commonwealth Sci. & Industr. Res. Org., Australia) v. 114/2 An example of polyphagy is afforded by the scale insect Ceroplastes rubens feeding on hundreds of different host plants. So ˈpolyphage [cf. F. polyphage], one who eats much or to excess; polyˈphagian a., eating much; n. = polyphage; polyphagic |-ˈfædʒɪk| a. = polyphagous; poˈlyphagist, one who eats much, or who eats many kinds of food.
1623Cockeram, *Poliphage, an extraordinarie eater. 1924Scribner's Mag. Aug. 156/2 The flimsy telegraph copy of a presidential message fluttered out of the window and was lost... ‘Oh, say that the office cat ate it.’.. The animal immediately became popular as a polyphage in hundreds of other newspaper-offices. 1965B. E. Freeman tr. Vandel's Biospeleol. xxx. 472 Only the polyphages..have a chance of subsisting underground.
1658Phillips, *Polyphagian,..one that eats much, a great feeder. 1825New Monthly Mag. XIII. 481 Without possessing his polyphagian powers.
1890Cent. Dict., *Polyphagic. 1895in Syd. Soc. Lex.
1819Sporting Mag. V. 15 All the *polyphagists, or general devourers,..are superseded by the famous Tarrare. |