- a natural craving or desire
- an attraction or affinity
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ap•pe•ten•cy
(ap′i tən sē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -cies.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- appetence.
- Latin appetentia a craving for, equivalent. to appetent- (stem of appetēns, present participle of appetere; see appetence) + -ia -ia; see -ency
- 1620–30
ap•pe•tence
(ap′i təns),USA pronunciation n.
ap′pe•tent, adj.
- intense desire;
strong natural craving;
appetite. - instinctive inclination or natural tendency.
- material or chemical attraction or affinity.
- French appétence
- Latin appetere, equivalent. to ap- ap-1 + petere to seek) + -ence; or
- appete (obsolete) to seek for, long for (1600–10
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
appetence /ˈæpɪtəns/, appetency n ( pl -tences, -tencies) rare
'appetency' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):