Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A craving to eat ice, often associated with anemia resulting from iron deficiency.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun pathologic consumption of ice, a manifestation of pica, often resulting from iron or nutritional deficiencies.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek pagos, stiff mass, frost (from pēnunai, pag-, to stick, stiffen; see pag- in Indo-European roots) + –phagia.]

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Examples

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Comments

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  • Oddee: 'Pagophagia is an obsessive need to chew on ice. Scientific research shows Pagophagia can be a sign of low iron in the blood.'

    November 5, 2008

  • It's weird how Wordie sneaks up on you. I managed to bite my lip yesterday evening and spent a few hours chewing ice.

    November 12, 2008

  • See also crystallodacnophilia.

    November 12, 2008