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gourmet

Etymology and origin of the English word gourmet

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡʊəmeɪ/, /ˈɡɔːmeɪ/ (UK); /ɡʊɹˈmeɪ/, /ˈɡʊɹmeɪ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French gourmet,[2][3][4][5][6] an alteration of Old French groume or gromet “wine merchant's servant, wine-taster”,[2][3][4][5][6] influenced by gourmand “glutton”.[2][3][4] The Old French word, in the 13th century “a lad”,[4] is of uncertain origin,[3][4] perhaps from Middle English grom “boy, servant”, the source of groom.[2][5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A connoisseur of fine food and drink (1820).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The servant who tasted wine for a merchant gave his name to the expert in fine eating.[4][5] As an adjective, describing fine food and its preparation, the word dates from 1900 or 1904.[4][7] Wiktionary notes that marketing use has somewhat cheapened the adjective.[1]

Timeline

  • 13th century – Old French groume, a lad.[4]
  • 1820 – a connoisseur of food and drink.[7][3][4][5]
  • 1900 – adjective.[4]
  • 1904 – attributive use, in the OED.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A connoisseur of fine food and drink; an epicure.
  2. A connoisseur in any field.

Adjective

  1. Of or for gourmets, especially using fine ingredients and skilled preparation.

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary notes that a gourmet and a gourmand both have discriminating taste, but a gourmand may also simply enjoy large quantities of food, and an epicure may suggest excessive refinement.[2] Random House gives gastronome and bon vivant as synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Gourmet.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gourmet. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·