What does gormand mean?
Gormand is a rare English noun meaning a person who eats greedily or voraciously. The word is chiefly literary or historical, and it carries a strongly negative connotation: a gormand is not merely someone who likes food but someone who devours it with indiscriminate appetite. In older English writing, the noun could characterize a character through gluttony, excess, and comic embarrassment. Its rarity makes it more pointed than the common synonym “glutton.” Although gormand and gourmand look alike, their modern associations differ: the former preserves the old image of greedy consumption, while the latter often denotes someone who appreciates fine food. Gormand is therefore useful in literary context when a writer wants to emphasize ravenous appetite rather than refined taste, though its dated flavor means it should not be substituted automatically for glutton.
nounA glutton or a person who eats greedily and voraciously. The word is now chiefly literary or historical.
- A person who eats greedily, voraciously, or excessively; a glutton.
"The old memoir describes him as a gormand who could finish a whole roast before the other guests had served themselves."
"In the old memoir, he is remembered as a gormand who could finish a whole roast before the guests had served themselves."
"The narrator mocks the merchant as a gormand, always the first to reach for the platter."
The ordinary plural is formed with -s, but it is rarely encountered because the word is now chiefly literary or historical.
"Several gormands are portrayed at the feast in the medieval manuscript."
A gourmand may savor the finest meal, but a gormand will devour it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gormand come from?
The English noun was borrowed from French gormand, meaning “glutton” or “greedy eater.” In English it remained chiefly in older literary use, preserving the image of voracious appetite. The related English word gourmand eventually acquired a more favorable modern sense, while the rarer derivatives gormandize and gormandise continue the original idea of eating greedily.
Related word forms
How gormand is actually used
Rare, strongly literary, and sometimes deliberately humorous. It emphasizes greedy excess rather than ordinary enthusiasm for food and may sound conspicuously old-fashioned in modern prose.
Easily confused with gormand
A gormand eats greedily and excessively, whereas a gourmand more commonly denotes someone who appreciates or knows about fine food.