gormandize

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>gormandize</strong> &#149; \GOR-mun-dyze\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> to eat greedily, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gluttonously">gluttonously</a>, or <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ravenously">ravenously</a> <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devour">devour</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>Lady Baleforth watched in horror as Lord Hoggwood <em>gormandized</em> the hors d'oeuvres, polishing off the entire lot before any of the other guests even arrived. </p> <p>"That's because—unless you live in the Sistine Chapel—there are very few other things to focus on while staring at the ceiling from the couch after <em>gormandizing</em> the Thanksgiving feast." — John O. Marlowe, <em>The Paper of Montgomery County</em> (Indiana), 30 Nov. 2017</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Gormandize</em> entered English in the mid-1500s as a modification of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gourmand"><em>gourmand</em></a>, a term borrowed from the French that served as a synonym for <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glutton"><em>glutton</em></a>. The meanings of both <em>gourmand</em> and <em>gormandize</em> were clearly disparaging until the 19th century, when <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gourmet"><em>gourmet</em></a> came into use to refer to a connoisseur of food and drink. Since then, the meaning of <em>gourmand</em> has softened, so that it now simply suggests someone who likes good food in large quantities. <em>Gormandize</em> still carries negative connotations of gluttony, but it can also imply that a big eater has a discriminating palate as well as a generous appetite.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font