Chthonophagy

/ˌθɑˈnɑfədʒi/ noun

Definition

The practice or habit of eating earth, soil, or clay; another term for geophagia.

Etymology

From Greek 'chthon' (earth) and 'phagos' (eating), creating a noun form meaning 'earth-eating.' A variant of chthonophagia used in medical and scientific literature.

Kelly Says

The suffix swap between '-phagia' and '-phagy' is just linguistic variety—both mean the same thing, like how we say 'they walk' or 'they are walking'—science just likes having fancy options!

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