'adephagia' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ἀδηφαγία', where 'ἀδηφαγ-' meant 'gluttonous' and '-ία' was a suffix used to form nouns indicating a state or condition.

'ἀδηφαγία' transformed into the Latin word 'adephagia', and eventually became the modern English word 'adephagia'.

Initially, it meant 'gluttony or excessive eating', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.