Gourmet and gourmand have similar meanings in modern English, but gourmand may imply gluttony while gourmet is more refined. Both words come from French, with gourmand originally meaning glutton. Gourmet can be used as both an adjective and a noun.
According to some, there is technically no difference in modern English between the terms gourmet and gourmand. Both have the meaning typically attributed to the gourmet, a person who loves and appreciates good food. However, the two terms differ in their connotative meanings.
Many English speakers take the view that gourmand implies a tendency to gluttony and that a gourmand is a somewhat more reserved individual. The former may be more of a hedonist and the latter considered more of a critic, although both are connoisseurs. In older or more conservative usage, gourmand has a meaning closer to glutton.
Both words are English loanwords from French. In French, gourmand originally referred to a glutton, but the word has evolved to mean a person who loves good food in modern French. Thus, the English term is closest in meaning to the older French definition, which existed at the time the term was first incorporated into English. Recently, the English word has started to evolve the same way it was in French.
Gourmet, on the other hand, is a corruption of the old French groumet, meaning “servant” or “wine steward” and also an acquaintance with the English groom. Its modern meaning in both French and English, as a person with refined culinary tastes, has been influenced by the word gourmand. While some who identify as foodies may argue that they are called foodies, the distinction between the two certainly isn’t set in stone, and the use of either term could be warranted.
An important difference between the terms is that gourmet can be used as both an adjective and a noun. Fine foods and wines and almost everything related to their production or preparation can be described as gourmet. Therefore, it is common to hear about gourmet chefs, restaurants and cookbooks, just to name a few.
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