[‘ That stimulates appetite for food; of or relating to the stimulation of appetite for food.']
Pronunciation: Brit. /ɒrɛksᵻˈdʒɛnɪk/, U.S. /ɔˌrɛksəˈdʒɛnɪk/
Etymology: < ancient Greek /ὄρεξις/ orexis n. + -genic comb. form.
/Med./ and Physiol.
That stimulates appetite for food; of or relating to the stimulation of appetite for food.
1907 /Amer. Jrnl. Clin. Med./ 1252/1 Then, too, we get an orexigenic and stomachic action which is not to be lightly esteemed, for it augments oxidation and metabolism.
1972 /Curr. Therap. Res./ *14* 372 (title) Clinical study of orexigenic action of a new antiserotonin agent, BC-105, in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.
1985 /Brain Res./ *341* 200 This data suggests that PYY [= peptide YY] is one of the most potent orexigenic substances yet to be identified.
1998 /Nature/ 17 Dec. 670/1 As deficiency of a single component of the pathway that limits food intake..causes obesity, it has been suggested that orexigenic signals are more redundant than those limiting food intake.