gluttonous
Meaning
Having the habit of eating too much and being greedy for food.
Excessively eager for or devoted to something.
Structure
Usage
The gluttonous feast left everyone feeling uncomfortably full.
He was gluttonous for praise, never satisfied with a single compliment.
The documentary criticized the gluttonous consumption of natural resources.
Etymology
The word 'gluttonous' traces its lineage to the Latin noun glutto, meaning an overeater or gormandizer, itself derived from the verb gluttire, to swallow. This Latin root is thought to be of imitative origin, echoing the sound of swallowing greedily. The suffix '-ous', from Latin -osus, denotes 'full of' or 'characterized by'. Thus, the literal construction 'full of a glutton' evolved into the modern abstract adjective describing an excessive appetite, whether for food or, by figurative extension, for any activity or experience.
Analysis
- glutton: From Latin glutto, gluttonis (overeater, gormandizer), related to gluttire (to swallow). - ous: A suffix forming adjectives, from Latin -osus (full of, prone to).