Meanings
plural gannets
- Any of three species of large seabird in the genus Morus, of the family Sulidae. They have black and white bodies and long pointed wings, and hunt for fish by plunge diving and pursuing their prey underwater.
Not but that they were kind and humane to a distressed sailor, if ever one had the good luck to get to land; and many a time, indeed, did Jack put out in his little corragh, that would breast the billows like any gannet, to lend a hand towards bringing off the crew from a wreck.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 527
present singular third person gannets · participle present ganneting · participle past ganneted · past ganneted
- UKinformaltransitiveTo wolf down, gobble or eat (something) voraciously.
She was no longer in the company of her older sister and mother who had often scolded her for ganneting down her food.
Gaynor Kay, Pebble in the Grass (page 115)
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA voracious eater; a glutton.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*ganzô
- Proto-Germanic*ganatuz
- Proto-West Germanic*ganat
- Old Englishganot
- Middle Englishganet
- Englishgannet
From Middle English ganet, gante, from Old English ganot, from Proto-West Germanic *ganat, *ganatō, from Proto-Germanic *ganatuz, *ganutô (“gander”), ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *ganzô. Cognates Cognate with Dutch gent, Middle Low German gante, German Ganter, Ganser, all “gander, male goose”.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan mascarell
- mascarellsea bird
Czech terej
- terejsea bird
Dutch jan-van-gent
- jan-van-gentsea bird
Estonian suula
- suulasea bird
Finnish suula
- suulasea bird
French fou
- fousea bird
German Basstölpel, Tölpel
- Basstölpelsea bird
- Tölpelsea bird
Greek σούλα
- σούλα (soúla)sea bird
Hungarian szula
- szulasea bird
Icelandic súla
- súlasea bird
Irish gainéad, ogastún
- gainéadsea bird
- ogastúnsea bird
Italian sula
- sulasea bird
Māori karake, tākapu
- karakesea bird
- tākapusea bird
Norwegian Bokmål sule
- sulesea bird
Polish głuptak
- głuptaksea bird
Portuguese alcatraz
- alcatrazsea bird
Romanian gâscă de mare
- gâscă de maresea bird
Russian о́луша
- о́луша (óluša)sea bird
Scottish Gaelic sùlaire, guga
- sùlairesea bird
- gugasea bird
Spanish alcatraz
- alcatrazsea bird
Welsh hugan, gwylanwydd
- hugansea bird
- gwylanwyddsea bird
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gannet
All rhymes →Cite this entry
gannet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gannet
“gannet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gannet. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gannet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gannet.
Source: gannet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.