glutton

English

Etymology

From Old French gloton, gluton, from Latin gluto, glutonis. Application of the term to the wolverine was due to the belief that the animal was inordinately voracious, and to the German designation of it as the Vielfraß, which was analyzed as viel (“much”) + fressen (“eat”) although it actually derives from Old Norse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlʌt(ə)n/
• Hyphenation: glut‧ton

Adjective

glutton (comparative more glutton, superlative most glutton)

1. Gluttonous; greedy; gormandizing.
   • (Can we date this quote by Fuller and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?):

     A glutton monastery in former ages makes a hungry ministry in our days.

   • 1597, William Shakespeare, 2 Henry IV i 3:

     So, so, thou common dog, didst thou disgorge
     Thy glutton bosom of the royal Richard?

Noun

glutton (plural gluttons)

1. One who eats voraciously, obsessively, or to excess; a gormandizer.

   Such a glutton would eat until his belly hurts.

2. (figuratively) One who consumes voraciously, obsessively, or to excess
   • 1705, George Granville, The British Enchanters:

     "Gluttons in murder, wanton to destroy."

   • c. 1860 Emily Dickinson, Hope is a subtle Glutton:

     Hope is a subtle Glutton / He feeds upon the Fair

   • 1878, Thomas Hardy, The Return of the Native:

     "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."

3. The wolverine, Gulo gulo, of the family Mustelidae, a carnivorous mammal about the size of a large badger, native to the northern parts of America, Europe, and Asia.

Synonyms

• (voracious eater): see Thesaurus:glutton

Translations

one who eats voraciously

• Arabic: أَكَّال m (ʔakkāl), شَرَه m (šarah), نَهِم m (nahim)

  Hijazi Arabic: طفس m (ṭifis)

• Armenian: որկրամոլ (hy) (orkramol)
• Bulgarian: лакомник m (lakomnik), чревоугодник (bg) m (črevougodnik)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 為食鬼／为食鬼 (wai⁶ sik⁶ gwai²), 为食鬼 (wai⁶ sik⁶ gwai²)

  Mandarin: 暴食者 (bàoshízhě), 饞嘴／馋嘴 (zh) (chánzuǐ), 馋嘴 (zh) (chánzuǐ), 饕餮 (zh) (tāotiè)

• Czech: žrout m, nenasyta m or f, obžera m
• Finnish: ahmatti (fi)
• French: glouton (fr) m, gourmand (fr) m
• Galician: moulán m, larpán (gl) m, larfón (gl) m, gulitrón m, larpeiro (gl) m, alarbio m, aldragón m, broeiro m, famoeiro m, froia m, garganteiro m, almudre m, papón (gl) m, lambuzas m, lapón (gl) m, comellón (gl) m, enchedoiro m, gulipón m
• German: Vielfraß (de) m, Nimmersatt (de) m, Völler m
• Gothic: 𐌰𐍆𐌴𐍄𐌾𐌰 m (afētja)
• Greek: λαίμαργος (el) m (laímargos), αδηφάγος (el) m (adifágos)

  Ancient: φάγος m (phágos), γαστρίμαργος m (gastrímargos)

• Hungarian: haspók, hasimádó
• Icelandic: átvagl (is) n, mathákur (is) m, svelgur m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: alpaire m, amplachán m, amplóir m, béiceadán m, blaochán m, bleadrachán m, bleaistéir m, calcaire m, cíocrachán m, craosaire m, fursaeir m, gainéan m, glutaire m, gorb m, graoisín m, longaire m, málaeir m, slogaire m, suthaire m
• Italian: ghiottone (it), ingordo (it), divoratore (it), mangione m
• Japanese: 食いしん坊 (ja) (くいしんぼう, kuishinbō), 健啖家 (けんたんか, kentanka)
• Latin: helluō m
• Maori: houmea, kaihorohoro, kaihoro
• Meru: kiragua
• Norman: bouffeux m (Jersey), gouailleux m (Jersey), goumitre m (Jersey), mâfreux m (Jersey)
• Polish: żarłok (pl) m, łakomczuch (pl) m
• Portuguese: glutão (pt) m, guloso (pt)
• Russian: чревоуго́дник (ru) m (črevougódnik), обжо́ра (ru) m or f (obžóra)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ждера f

  Roman: ždera (sh) f

• Spanish: glotón (es) m, hambrón m, comilón (es) m, tragón (es) m, piraña (es) (Spain, colloquial)
• Swahili: mlafi (sw)
• Swedish: frossare c
• Telugu: తిండిపోతు (te) (tiṇḍipōtu)
• Turkish: obur (tr)

one who gluts himself

• Finnish: mässäilijä (fi)
• German: Unersättlicher m, Unersättliche f
• Greek: αχόρταγος (el) m (achórtagos)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: amplóir m
• Swahili: walafi (sw)

wolverine — see wolverine

See also

• glutton for punishment

Verb

glutton (third-person singular simple present gluttons, present participle gluttoning, simple past and past participle gluttoned)

1. (archaic) To glut; to satisfy (especially an appetite) by filling to capacity.
   • (Can we date this quote by Lovelace and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Gluttoned at last, return at home to pine.

   • 1915, Journeyman Barber, Hairdresser, Cosmetologist and Proprietor:

     In some cities their [local branches] have become gluttoned with success, and in their misguided overzealous ambition they are 'killing the goose that lays the golden egg.'

2. (obsolete) To glut; to eat voraciously.
   • (Can we date this quote by Drayton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Whereon in Egypt gluttoning they fed.

   • 1598, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 75

     Thus do I pine and surfeit day by day, / Or gluttoning on all, or all away.

Related terms

• gluttonous
• gluttonously
• gluttony