gannet meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

gannet

noun

UK /ˈɡænɪt/

Etymology From Middle English ganet, gante, from Old English ganot, from Proto-West Germanic *ganat, *ganatō, from Proto-Germanic *ganatuz, *ganutô (“gander”), ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *ganzô. Cognates Cognate with Dutch gent, Middle Low German gante, German Ganter, Ganser, all “gander, male goose”.

Any of three species of large seabird in the genus Morus, of the family Sulidae. They have black and white bodies and long pointed wings, and hunt for fish by plunge diving and pursuing their prey underwater.

South Africa, UK A voracious eater; a glutton.

Synonyms: glutton
Derived terms: Australasian gannet, booby gannet, Cape gannet, common gannet, gannetry, gannet's bath, North Atlantic gannet, northern gannet

gannet

verb

UK, Informal To wolf down, gobble or eat (something) voraciously.

She was no longer in the company of her older sister and mother who had often scolded her for ganneting down her food.Gaynor Kay, Pebble in the Grass (page 115)