Did you
know?

craving
noun

- a strong or uncontrollable desire

(Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

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WORD ORIGIN
Craving is the noun form of the verb to crave, which developed from the Old English crafian (around 1000), meaning to demand something by right.

We are all familiar with the image of the pregnant woman who abruptly wakes up in the middle of the night with a bizarre craving for food or a snack; pickles and ice cream, brownies with a side order of potato salad, bubble and squeak.

It’s not unusual for expectant women to also experience non-food cravings, some which are dangerous. These cravings include ice chips, dirt, laundry soap, starch, hair and matches, just to name a few. This condition is referred to as pica, the Latin name for the Magpie, a bird known to eat nearly anything. Pica strikes all races and socio-economic groups.

There are different types of pica:

- Geophagiathe, the consumption of earth and clay. Geography guide Matt Rosenberg puts it in perspective, "Most people who eat dirt live in Central Africa and the southern United States. While it is a cultural practice, it also fills a physiological need for nutrients." He also points out that it may be thought of as a relief from common pregnancy ailments like nausea.

- Amylophagia, the consumption of starch and paste.

- Pagophagia, the eating of ice.

There is also the consumption of ash, chalk, antacids, paint chips, plaster, wax, and other substances, making the pickles and ice cream sound like a real delicacy.

(sources: www.about.pregnancy.com, Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology)

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SYNONYMS
appetite, hankering, hunger, hurting, itch, longing, lust, munchies, need, passion, thirst, urge, yearning, yen

(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)

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ANTONYMS
aversion, disgust, dislike, distaste, hatred, repulsion

(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)

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IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:

"I have a sudden craving for a pizza. Feel like joining me for lunch?"