appetency

2 definitions found

appetency - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Appetency \Ap"pe*ten*cy\, n.; pl. Appetencies. [L. appetentia,
     fr. appetere to strive after, long for. See Appetite.]
     1. Fixed and strong desire; esp. natural desire; a craving;
        an eager appetite.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              They had a strong appetency for reading. --Merivale.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Specifically: An instinctive inclination or propensity in
        animals to perform certain actions, as in the young to
        suck, in aquatic fowls to enter into water and to swim;
        the tendency of an organized body to seek what satisfies
        the wants of its organism.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              These lacteals have mouths, and by animal selection
              or appetency the absorb such part of the fluid as is
              agreeable to their palate.            --E. Darwin.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Natural tendency; affinity; attraction; -- used of
        inanimate objects.
        [1913 Webster]

appetency - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  appetency
      n 1: a feeling of craving something; "an appetite for life";
           "the object of life is to satisfy as many appetencies as
           possible"- Granville Hicks [syn: appetite, appetency,
           appetence]