What does gullet mean?
A gullet is the throat, especially the passage leading from the mouth to the stomach, though older and literary English can also use the word for the stomach itself. Its vivid anatomical sense appears in phrases describing food, bones, or swallowing: a fish bone may be lodged in the gullet, and an animal's gullet may be examined for signs of what it has eaten. The word also has a figurative, slightly old-fashioned register. To 'wet one's gullet' is to drink, and references to a voracious gullet suggest a large appetite. Although throat is the usual modern choice, gullet remains useful because it gives writing a more distinctive, often more dramatic quality while clearly referring to the anatomy involved in eating and drinking.
nounThe throat, especially the passage from the mouth to the stomach. In older or literary usage, it can also refer to the stomach itself.
- The throat or the passage from the mouth to the stomach.
- The stomach, especially in older, literary, or figurative usage.
"A fish bone had lodged deep in his gullet."
"The sharp bone scraped the inside of his gullet as he swallowed."
"The old phrase 'wet one's gullet' means to drink."
The standard plural of gullet is gullets.
"The birds had empty gullets and were searching for food."
The gullet is the body's food route: its name comes from a Latin word for the throat, and in older English it could also mean the stomach.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gullet come from?
The word entered Middle English as golet, borrowed from Anglo-French and Old French forms such as goulot, a diminutive of goule meaning 'throat.' Old French goule came from Latin gula, 'throat,' which is also associated with the root meaning 'to swallow.' Related English words include gulp and gully, while the Latin gula also underlies the anatomical term for the throat.
Related word forms
How gullet is actually used
Gullet is more literary or technical than the everyday word throat. The sense 'stomach' is dated in many contexts, while expressions such as 'wet one's gullet' may sound old-fashioned or humorous.