Word of the Day

: February 26, 2011

gormandize

verb GOR-mun-dyze

What It Means

: to eat gluttonously or ravenously

gormandize in Context

Lady Baleforth watched in horror as Lord Hoggwood gormandized the hors d'oeuvres, polishing off the entire lot before any of the other guests even arrived.

"People stuff themselves, they gorge, they gormandize; their fingers are greasy from morning to night." -- From Philippe Sagant's 2008 book The Dozing Shaman

Did You Know?

"Gormandize" entered English in the mid-1500s as a modification of "gourmand," a term borrowed from the French that served as a synonym for "glutton." The meanings of both "gourmand" and "gormandize" were clearly disparaging until the 19th century, when "gourmet" came into use to refer to a connoisseur of food and drink. Since then, the meaning of "gourmand" has softened, so that it now suggests someone who likes good food in large quantities but not in a way that is disgusting or gluttonous. "Gormandize" still carries such negative connotations, but it can also imply that a big eater has a discriminating palate as well as a generous appetite.