Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·French ·1820s
Gourmet
from gourmet
- Meaning
- A connoisseur of fine food; adjective for high-quality food.
- Source word
- gourmet
- Route into English
- Old French *gromet* (a wine merchant's servant who tasted wine) → modern *gourmet* → English. The word used to mean a young servant; it narrowed to a connoisseur in the 19th century.
- Arrived
- 1820s
From French
Beyond the Norman conquest's Old French foundation, English kept borrowing from French for art, cuisine, fashion, and diplomacy throughout the modern period.
English borrows.
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