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ap·pe·tite

(ăpĭ-tīt′)

1. An instinctive physical desire, especially one for food or drink.

2. A strong wish or urge: an appetite for learning.

3. A collective demand: America's appetite for fossil fuels.

[Middle English apetit, from Old French, from Latin appetītus, strong desire, from past participle of appetere, to strive after : ad-, ad- + petere, to seek; see pet- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

appe·ti′tive (ăpĭ-tī′tĭv, ə-pĕtĭ-tĭv) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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