gourmand

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 21, 2025 is: gourmand \GOOR-mahnd\ noun A gourmand is a person who loves and appreciates good food and drink. Gourmand can also refer to someone who enjoys eating and drinking to excess. // He was a gourmand who retired to New Orleans to live close to the cuisine he loved best. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gourmand) Examples: "... the deck sports a dining area with a barbecue and pizza oven for gourmands." — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2023 Did you know? When gourmand first appeared in English texts in the 15th century, it was no compliment: gourmand was a synonym of [glutton](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glutton) that was reserved for a greedy eater who consumed well past the point of satiation. The word’s negative connotation mostly remained until English speakers borrowed the similar-sounding (and much more positive) [gourmet](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gourmet) from French in the 17th century to describe a [connoisseur](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/connoisseur) of food and drink. Since then, while the original, unflattering sense of gourmand has remained, it has picked up an additional, softer sense referring to someone who appreciates, and has a hearty appetite for, the pleasures of the table. More recently, gourmand has expanded beyond cuisine and into the world of perfumery: fragrances that evoke edible pleasures are called "gourmands."