Etymology

bon vivant

Today it means: A man who enjoys luxurious things in life, especially good food and drink; a man about town. Full definition →

French bon vivant
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The story

  1. French · borrowed frombon vivant
  2. English todaybon vivant

Borrowed from French bon vivant (literally “one who lives well, good ‘liver’ (living person)”), from bon (“good”) + vivant (“person who is living”), agent noun of vivre (“to live”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.