Dictionary entry

Chthonophagia

Webster's Dictionary 1913

{ ‖Chthon′o‐pha″gi‐a (?), Chtho‐noph″a‐gy (?), } n. [NL. chthonophagia; Gr. �, �, earth + � to eat.] A disease characterized by an irresistible desire to eat earth, observed in some parts of the southern United States, the West Indies, etc.