Nom
/nɒm/noun
An informal English term for food or eating, often used playfully as a verb meaning “to eat.”
Did you know?The eating sense of “nom” is modern internet onomatopoeia, while French nom—meaning “name”—descends from the ancient Indo-European root for naming and designation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁nōmn̥
“Name or identifying designation”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ónoma
“Name; word by which something is called”
Classical Latin
Latin
nōmen
“Name; personal name or title”
Old French
Old French
nom
“Name, derived from Latin nōmen”
Middle English
English
nom
“A French loanword meaning “name,” chiefly preserved in phrases such as nom de plume”
Early 21st Century
Internet English
nom
“Playful sound-symbolic expression for eating or delicious food”