Intense desires or longings for something, especially specific foods, substances, or experiences that you want very badly.
From Middle English 'craven,' from Old Norse 'krafask' meaning 'to demand.' The noun form developed to describe powerful, demanding desires.
Pregnant people experience unusual food cravings because of hormonal changes and nutritional needs—cravings for ice and dirt indicate specific mineral deficiencies, which doctors can actually use as diagnostic clues!
Female cravings (pregnancy, appetite, desire) were medicalized as weakness/hysteria; male equivalent desires were normalized as natural drives or rational pursuits.
Use descriptively; avoid pathologizing human appetite/desire as inherently gendered, and distinguish physiological from psychological drives.
["desires","urges","appetites"]
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