epicure

[ ep-i-kyoor ]

noun

1. a person who cultivates a refined taste, especially in food and wine; connoisseur.

   Synonyms: epicurean, gourmet, gastronome

   Antonyms: ascetic

2. Archaic. a person dedicated to sensual enjoyment.

   Synonyms: gourmand, sensualist, voluptuary

epicure

/ ˈɛpɪˌkjʊə /

noun

1. a person who cultivates a discriminating palate for the enjoyment of good food and drink; gourmet
2. a person devoted to sensual pleasures

Derived Forms

• ˈepicurˌism, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of epicure¹

1350–1400 for earlier sense; 1555–65 epicure fordef 2; Middle English Epicures, Epicureis Epicureans (plural) < Latin Epicūrēus (singular) ( epicurean )

Word History and Origins

Origin of epicure¹

C16: from Medieval Latin epicūrus, after Epicurus; see Epicurean

Example Sentences

Do you think he’s a secret epicure?

From Los Angeles Times

The gentle yet insistent refrain of this movie, which was loosely inspired by Marcel Rouff’s classic 1924 novel “The Passionate Epicure,” is that Eugénie and Dodin are artists.

From Los Angeles Times

Two of her most memorable novels-as-character-studies are “In the Drink” and “The Epicure’s Lament.”

From Los Angeles Times

As French epicure Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin famously put it, “Tell me what you eat: I will tell you what you are.”

From Washington Post

Connie is an epicure, a gourmand, a bon vivant, a lover and appreciator of fine food and drink.

From Salon