appetite

[ap-i-tahyt] /ˈæp ɪˌtaɪt/
noun
1.
a desire for food or drink:
I have no appetite for lunch today.
2.
a desire to satisfy any bodily need or craving.
3.
a desire or liking for something; fondness; taste:
an appetite for power; an appetite for pleasure.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English appetit (< Anglo-French) < Latin appetītus natural desire, equivalent to appetī- (variant stem of appetere; see appetence) + -tus suffix of v. action
Can be confused
apatite, appetite.
Synonyms
1–3. longing, hunger. 1, 3. thirst. 2. inclination, wish. 3. relish, gusto, zest.
Antonyms
1–3. satiety.
British Dictionary definitions for appetite

appetite

/ˈæpɪˌtaɪt/
noun
1.
a desire for food or drink
2.
a desire to satisfy a bodily craving, as for sexual pleasure
3.
(usually foll by for) a desire, liking, or willingness: a great appetite for work
Derived Forms
appetitive (əˈpɛtɪtɪv; ˈæpɪˌtaɪtɪv) adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Old French apetit, from Latin appetītus a craving, from appetere to desire ardently
Word Origin and History for appetite
n.

c.1300, "craving for food," from Anglo-French appetit, Old French apetit (13c.) "appetite, desire, eagerness," from Latin appetitus "appetite," literally "desire toward," from appetitus, past participle of appetere "to long for, desire; strive for, grasp at," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + petere "go to, seek out" (see petition (n.)).

Of other desires or cravings, from late 14c. As an adjective form, OED lists appetitious (1650s) and appetitual (1610s) as "obsolete," but appetitive (1570s) continues.

appetite in Medicine

appetite ap·pe·tite (āp'ĭ-tīt')
n.
An instinctive physical desire, as for food or sex.

Idioms and Phrases with appetite

appetite

see: whet one's appetite