different between appetite vs hankering

English

Etymology

From Middle English appetit, from Old French apetit (French appétit), from Latin appetitus, from appetere (“to strive after, long for”); ad + petere (“to seek”). See petition, and compare with appetence.

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) IPA^(key): /?æp.?.ta?t/
• Homophone: apatite

Noun

appetite (countable and uncountable, plural appetites)

1. Desire to eat food or consume drink.
   • 1904, Arthur Conan Doyle in The Adventure of Black Peter:

     And I return with an excellent appetite. There can be no question, my dear Watson, of the value of exercise before breakfast.
2. Any strong desire; an eagerness or longing.

   • If God had given to eagles an appetite to swim.
3. The desire for some personal gratification, either of the body or of the mind.

   appetite for reading

   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     The object of appetite is whatsoever sensible good may be wished for; the object of will is that good which reason does lead us to seek.

Synonyms

• craving, longing, desire, appetency, passion

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• appetite in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• appetite in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• appetite at OneLook Dictionary Search

Italian

Verb

appetite

1. second-person plural present indicative of appetire
2. second-person plural imperative of appetire

Participle

appetite

1. feminine plural of the past participle of appetire

Latin

Verb

appetite

1. second-person plural present active imperative of appet?

English

Verb

hankering

1. present participle of hanker
   • 2008 May 23, James Graff, "Lost: Labour's Love for Brown," Time:

     [T]here is a clear sense that Britain is hankering for a change at the top.

Noun

hankering (plural hankerings)

1. (often followed by for or after) A strong, restless desire, longing, or mental inclination.
   • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 24:

     " […] You don't mean," Mr. Osborne continued, gathering wrath and astonishment as the thought now first came upon him; "you don't mean that he's such a d—— fool as to be still hankering after that swindling old bankrupt's daughter? […] "

1. • 2010 Aug. 12, Michael D. Lemonick, "Study: Lucy's Relatives Used Tools to Butcher Meat," Time:

     In other words, some species of human ancestor . . . not only had a hankering for meat, which scientists had not expected, but used tools to get it.

Synonyms

• craving

Translations

Anagrams

• harkening