glutton
nounEtymology From Middle English glotoun, from Old French gloton, gluton, from Latin gluttō, gluttōnis (“glutton”). The use for the wolverine is a semantic loan from German Vielfraß, itself a folk etymology for Old Norse *fjallfress (literally “mountain cat”). The popular belief that the wolverine is particularly voracious only developed because of this name. See the German for more.
1
One who eats voraciously, obsessively, or to excess; a gormandizer.
- Such a glutton would eat until his belly hurts.
2
Broadly One who consumes anything voraciously, obsessively, or to excess.
- "Gluttons in murder, wanton to destroy."1705, George Granville, The British Enchanters:
- "A good few indeed, my man," replied the captain. "Yes, you may make away with a deal of money and be neither drunkard nor glutton."1878, Thomas Hardy, The Return of the Native:
1 more example
- Hope is a subtle glutton; / He feeds upon the fair;a. 1887 (date written), Emily Dickinson, “Hope is a subtle glutton”, in M[abel] L[oomis] Todd, editors, Poems, Third Series, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, published 1896, page 15:
3
Archaic The wolverine, Gulo gulo.
- [A] civil establishment […] is the animal called a glutton, which falling from a tree (in which it generally conceals itself) upon some noble animal, immediately begins to tear it, and suck its blood […].1791, Joseph Priestley, Letters to Burke, section VII:
4
Colloquial A giant petrel.
- Synonyms
- belly-god, buzgut, cormorant, epicure, gannet, glutton, gorger, gourmand, gormandizer, greedyguts, guttle, hog, Homer Simpson, helluo, pig, slow belly, trencherman
- Related terms
- glut, glutton for punishment, gluttonous, drunkard, libertine, greed, greedy, voracious
- Hypernyms
- bon vivant, epicurean, gastronome, gastronomer, gastronomist, person, sensualist