gourmand
Americannoun
-
a person who is fond of good eating, often indiscriminatingly and to excess.
-
a gourmet; epicure.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gourmand
1400–50; late Middle English gourmaunt < Old French gormant a glutton
Explanation
A gourmand is someone obsessively and unhealthily devoted to eating good food and lots of it. In Monty Python's film "The Meaning of Life," there is a character who literally explodes after eating just one more mint after a big meal. Well, that in a nutshell is a gourmand. Gourmand is not to be confused with gourmet. A gourmet is a connoisseur of good food who enjoys eating but doesn't do so to excess. A gourmet might find himself full in his favorite restaurant, but he would never explode. Both words are from the Medieval French term gourmant, meaning "glutton."
Vocabulary lists containing gourmand
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
English Words Derived from French, List 8
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So your giftee is a gourmand, a big-league griller, a hot-sauce head.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
But what does this gourmand trend say about the role of scent in modern femininity, nostalgia, and identity?
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2025
Van Buren, the incumbent, was a gourmand and “loved all things French food,” said Bruce Kraig, author of “A Rich and Fertile Land: A History of Food in America.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2024
That novel features one of the most indelible characters in culinary fiction, a gourmand whom the author Marcel Rouff loosely based on the French culinary writer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, born in 1755.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2024
This, from a man who had a reputation for being quite the gourmand, was telling in and of itself.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
