gluttony

/ˈglʌtəni/

/ˈglʌtəni/

Other forms: gluttonies

Called one of the seven deadly sins, gluttony is characterized by a limitless appetite for food and drink and overindulgence to the point where one is no longer eating just to live, but rather living to eat.

Present in Old French and Middle English, the word glutonie derived from the Latin gluttire, "to swallow," which in turn came from gula, the word for "throat." In some cultures, gluttony is considered an indication of the country’s wealth, but in most cases it is simply gross and unacceptable. Nowadays, gluttony is seen as an emotional cry for help, as succinctly put by author Peter De Vries, who said, “Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.”

Definitions of gluttony

1. noun

   habitual eating to excess
   types:

   greediness, hoggishness, piggishness

   an excessive desire for food

   edacity, esurience, rapaciousness, rapacity, voraciousness, voracity

   extreme gluttony

   type of:

   intemperance

   the quality of being intemperate
2. noun

   eating to excess (personified as one of the deadly sins)
   synonyms: gula, overeating

   type of:

   deadly sin, mortal sin

   an unpardonable sin entailing a total loss of grace