geophagismn.
/dʒɪˈɒfədʒɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /dʒiˈɑfəˌdʒɪzəm/ Now rare.
= geophagy n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating specific substances or food > [noun] > eating earth
geophagy1821
geophagism1828
1828 J. Elliotson tr. J. F. Blumenbach Elem. Physiol. (ed. 4) xxi. 309 Otomacs eat little else some months of the year than large quantities of earth... Many nations of the torrid zone have a propensity to geophagism.
1843 Edinb. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 59 417 By-and-bye we find Dr Truman descanting on Geophagism.
1880 Libr. Universal Knowl. VI. 593 (title) Geophagism, the custom of dirt-eating, indulged in by the lowest order of savages, most particularly in Terra del Fuego.
1904 Brit. Med. Jrnl. Jan. 30 245/2 A lady, after a prolonged geophagism, became subject to constant vomiting.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1828