geophagistn.
/dʒɪˈɒfədʒɪst/, U.S. /dʒiˈɑfədʒəst/ A person who practises geophagy; an eater of earth.
ΚΠ
1842 J. Laurie Univ. Geogr. iv. 106 According to their diversity of food, arising from the various circumstances in which mankind are placed, some naturalists have thought it possible to classify them; as, carnivorous (flesh-eaters),..ichthyophagists (fish-eaters), acridophagists (locust-eaters), geophagists (earth-eaters), [etc.].
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. II. 1040 Earth deliberately eaten by the geophagist.
1936 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 25 Jan. 143/1 Magnesium silicates..have been prized by geophagists either as table delicacies or as famine foods.
2005 P. W. Abrahams in O. Selinus Essentials Med. Geol. xvii. 451/2 Indeed geophagists can deliberately add salt to the soil that they then consume.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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