glutton

¹

[ gluht-n ]

noun

1. a person who eats and drinks excessively or voraciously.

   Synonyms: chowhound, gastronome, gourmand

2. a person with a remarkably great desire or capacity for something:

   a glutton for work;

   a glutton for punishment.

glutton

²

[ gluht-n ]

noun

1. the wolverine, Gulo gulo, of Europe.

glutton

¹

/ ˈɡlʌtən /

noun

1. a person devoted to eating and drinking to excess; greedy person
2. ironic.
   a person who has or appears to have a voracious appetite for something

   a glutton for punishment

glutton

²

/ ˈɡlʌtən /

noun

1. another name for wolverine

Derived Forms

• ˈgluttonous, adjective
• ˈgluttonously, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of glutton¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English glutun, from Old French glouton, from Latin gluttōn-, stem of gluttō, variant of glūtō, akin to glūtīre “to gulp down”

Origin of glutton²

First recorded in 1665–75; translation of German Vielfraß, from viel “much” (cognate with obsolete English fele; plus ( def ) ) + fraß “eater” (noun derivative of fressen “to eat” (used of animals); fress ( def ), fret ¹( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of glutton¹

C13: from Old French glouton, from Latin glutto, from gluttīre to swallow

Origin of glutton²

C17: from glutton ¹, apparently translating German Vielfrass great eater

Example Sentences

In the early 1980s, in the 1990s, returning like a malarial fever, the enemy was the Medfly, the Mediterranean fruit fly — pest, parasite, glutton for our golden harvests, despoiler of sunny citrus and rosy peaches, murderer of guacamole avocados.

From Los Angeles Times

She’s boisterous but not a glutton for attention.

From Los Angeles Times

Like a moth to a flame, there is just something about all that color and texture; I am a glutton for disappointment where fruitcake is concerned.

From Salon

“I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment,” Hough said with a laugh during a video interview from Minneapolis.

From New York Times

If you’re an author who happens to be a glutton for punishment or, worse, an insomniac — or, disaster scenario: both — you might be familiar with a certain masochistic feedback loop.

From New York Times