Etymologically
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glutton

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡlʌtn̩/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English glotoun, glutun,[2][3][4][5] borrowed from Old French gloton, gluton,[2][3][6][7] from Latin gluttō (“overeater”) (accusative gluttōnem),[2][3][6][4] related to gluttīre (“to swallow”) and gula (“throat”) (see gullet).[3][6][4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who eats and drinks to excess (before 1225 in the OED; probably before 1200 in Barnhart; early 13th century in Etymonline).[8][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The Old French word was also a general term of abuse, “scoundrel”.[6] In Middle English the glutton was the rich man of the parable in Luke 16 (c. 1380).[8] The general sense, one who indulges to excess in anything, as in a glutton of books, dates from about 1704.[8][6] The phrase glutton for punishment comes from boxing and is recorded from 1854.[6][8] In the 17th century the name was given to the wolverine, as a translation of German Vielfraß (“great eater”),[7][9][5] itself a folk-etymological rendering of a Norwegian word for the animal.[5][10]

Timeline

  • before 1225 – an overeater.[8][3]
  • c. 1380 – the rich man of the parable.[8]
  • c. 1600 – verb, to feed greedily.[8]
  • 17th century – the wolverine.[7]
  • 1704 – one who indulges to excess in anything.[8][6]
  • 1854 – glutton for punishment.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who eats and drinks to excess; a gourmand.
  2. A person with an unusually great desire or capacity for something, as in a glutton for punishment.
  3. The wolverine.
  • gluttonous
  • gluttony
  • glut
  • gullet
  • wolverine

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  10. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray