Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: apetit, from Latin, past participle of appetere 'to try to get', from ad- 'to' + petere 'to look for'

appetite

 noun
     
ap‧pe‧tite
1 [countable usually singular, uncountable] a desire for food:
All that walking has given me an appetite for dinner.
I seem to have lost my appetite lately.
Symptoms include headaches, tiredness and loss of appetite
Let's just say he's got a healthy appetite.
spoil/ruin your appetite
Don't eat that cake now; you'll spoil your appetite.
2 [countable] a desire or liking for a particular activity
appetite for
She has an amazing appetite for knowledge.
People seem to have an insatiable appetite (=always wanting more of something) for news of any kind.

➔ whet somebody's appetite

at whet (1)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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