Gourmet
/ˈɡʊə(r).meɪ/noun
A person with refined taste in food and drink, especially one who appreciates high-quality cuisine.
Did you know?The English word comes through French from an older term for a wine broker or agent, not from any mystical or occult source—but it still carries the aura of elite discernment and ritualized taste.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
gourmet
“A connoisseur of food and drink; later, a person with refined taste in cuisine.”
Old French
Old French
gourmet
“A wine broker, agent, or servant connected with wine trade and tasting.”
Medieval French
French
gromet / gormet
“A wine-taster or wine merchant's agent.”
Late Latin
Latin
grumosus / gruma (uncertain connection)
“A possible but not fully secure older source sometimes cited in older scholarship; the exact origin is debated.”
Modern English
English
gourmet
“A person with discriminating taste, especially in food; also, high-quality food or cuisine.”