What is "longings"

Usage examples of "longings".

I grant that the longings of women during their pregnancy have no influence whatever on the skin of the foetus, when I know the reverse to be the case?

The dark man with the laughing eyes and the ironic wit, which he had learned to use to mask his deep longings, strove to create perfection and beauty in his own work.

The other visions seemed to have been anchored in his longings and fears.