Meanings
plural gourmands · alternative gormand
- A person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink; a greedy or ravenous eater.
I knew him, at Caivs trencher, when for hyre, / He proſtituted his abuſed body / To that great gourmond, fat Apicivs;
1603 (first performance; published 1605), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Seianus his Fall. A Tragœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act I, page 3651 more example
The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it. […] But there was not a more lascivious reprobate and gourmand in all London than this same Greystone.
1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 5Synonyms: glutton
- A person who appreciates good food.
The third key was the number of demands from different patrons or groups for their own specialized cuisines. Such patrons included the court, rich households, and scholar-gourmands. Buddhists and Muslims also elaborated their own cuisines (sucai 素菜 and qingzhen 清真).
2000, Endymion Wilkinson, “Agriculture, Food, and the Environment”, in Chinese History: A New Manual, Rev. & enl. edition, Harvard University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 636Synonyms: chowhound, gastronaut, gourmet
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink; a greedy or ravenous eater.
nounA person who appreciates good food.
person with a special interest or knowledge of food
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchgormant“a glutton”
- Middle Englishgourmaunt
- Englishgourmand
From Middle English gourmaunt, gormond, gromonde, from Old French gormant (“a glutton”, noun), from gormant (“gluttonous”, adjective), of uncertain origin.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γαστρίμαργος, τένθης
- γαστρίμαργος (gastrímargos)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- τένθης (ténthēs)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- ὀψοφάγος (opsophágos)person who appreciates good food
Bulgarian лакомник, чревоугодник
- лакомник (lakomnik)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- чревоугодник (črevougodnik)person who appreciates good food
Finnish syömäri, mässäilijä
- syömäriperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- mässäilijäperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- ahmattiperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- herkuttelijaperson who appreciates good food
- herkkusuuperson who appreciates good food
- gurmandiperson who appreciates good food
French glouton, goulu
- gloutonperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gouluperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- goinfreperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- boulimiqueperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gourmetperson who appreciates good food
- dégustateurperson who appreciates good food
- gastronomeperson who appreciates good food
- gourmandperson who appreciates good food
- gourmandeperson who appreciates good food
German Gourmand, Schlemmer
- Gourmandperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- Schlemmerperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- Schlemmerinperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- Vielfraßperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- Völlerperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- Feinschmeckerperson who appreciates good food
- Feinschmeckerinperson who appreciates good food
- Gourmetperson who appreciates good food
Greek φαγάς, κοιλιόδουλος
- φαγάς (fagás)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- κοιλιόδουλος (koiliódoulos)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- καλοφαγάς (kalofagás)person who appreciates good food
Hungarian hasimádó
- hasimádóperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
Italian ghiottone, golosone
- ghiottoneperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- golosoneperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- buongustaioperson who appreciates good food
Latin helluō, lurcō
- helluōperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- lurcōperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gluttōperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- liguritorperson who appreciates good food
Norwegian Bokmål storspiser, fråtser
- storspiserperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- fråtserperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gourmetperson who appreciates good food
- gastronomperson who appreciates good food
Polish łakomczuch, smakosz
- łakomczuchperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- smakoszperson who appreciates good food
Portuguese gourmand, comilão
- gourmandperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- comilãoperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- glutãoperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gulosoperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gourmandperson who appreciates good food
Russian обжо́ра, гурма́н
- обжо́ра (obžóra)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- гурма́н (gurmán)person who appreciates good food
- гастроно́м (gastronóm)person who appreciates good food
- ла́комка (lákomka)person who appreciates good food
Spanish tragaldabas, glotón
- tragaldabasperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- glotónperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- comilónperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- tragónperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- golosoperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gastrónomoperson who appreciates good food
- sibaritaperson who appreciates good food
- gourmetperson who appreciates good food
- golosoperson who appreciates good food
Turkish obur, gurme
- oburperson given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- gurmeperson who appreciates good food
Ukrainian ненаже́ра, заже́ра
- ненаже́ра (nenažéra)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- заже́ра (zažéra)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- жеру́н (žerún)person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink
- гурма́н (hurmán)person who appreciates good food
- ґурма́н (gurmán)person who appreciates good food
Cite this entry
gourmand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gourmand
“gourmand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gourmand. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gourmand,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gourmand.
Source: gourmand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.