Word of the Day

: November 23, 2017

viand

noun VYE-und

What It Means

1 : an item of food; especially : a choice or tasty dish

2 : (plural) provisions, food

viand in Context

"The family sat down to table, and a frugal meal of cold viands was deposited before them." — Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, 1891

"No fewer than three restaurants are planned for the new hotel, including one at ground level, and two others on the top two floors of the building, providing city vistas along with the viands." — Lewis Lazare, The Chicago Business Journal, 13 May 2016

Did You Know?

Are you someone who eats to live, or someone who lives to eat? Either way, you'll find that the etymology of viand reflects the close link between food and life. Viand was borrowed into English in the 15th century from the Anglo-French viaunde or viande (viande, meaning "meat," is still found in modern French usage). The Anglo-French viaunde derives ultimately from the Medieval Latin vivanda ("food"), an alteration of vivendus, a participial form of the verb vivere, meaning "to live." Vivere is the ancestor of a number of other lively and life-giving words in English, including victual, revive, survive, convivial, and vivacious.