glutto-, glutt-

The process or act by which food or liquid goes from the mouth to the stomach via the esophagus or the muscular tube which carries food from the throat to the stomach: The first phase of deglutition is voluntary or is done without any conscious thought because it is such a common activity that there is rarely any thinking about what is happening.

To gulp down or to gobble food swinishly: Brian was told by his mother that to englut the way he was doing it at dinner is the same thing as making a pig of himself.

1. An oversupply of something: Flooding a market with an excess amount of goods results in a glut of such items.

There is usually a glut of fresh vegetables in August, but with all of the flooding or draughts, the glut may be greatly reduced.

2. Etymology: from Middle English glotten, "to eat greedily"; from Latin gluttire, "to swallow". © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. To swallow, to gorge oneself; to greedily eat too much: Nell is excessively glutting her food and, as a result, she is getting fatter everyday.
2. To supply something that is much greater than can be sold or is needed or wanted: It's possible that there are so many university graduates glutting certain areas of the labor force that only a limited number will be able to find the kind of occupation that they are hoping for.

Cheaper products from abroad glutted the market, lowering the profits for local sellers.

If the market is glutted with too much oil, then why is the cost of gas still so expensive?

An obsolete or outdated form of "gluttony" as shown below in this unit.

1. Someone who eats too much and so consumes more than he or she should: When Joe's family went to the restaurant, it was obvious that they were gluttons as indicated by the amount and the way they were eating; as well as, the obesity of their bodies.
2. Anyone with an unusual capacity to receive or to withstand something: Henry was a glutton for punishment because sometimes he stayed up to work on his personal website until just before dawn and then he had to go to work.

Debora's sister is said to be a glutton for gossip and participates in such an activity quite often.

The Anderson's family are known to be gluttons for TV as is indicated by the many TV sets that they have in their home and the numerous hours that they spend watching television programs.

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Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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A descriptive term for being greedy or wanting an abnormally large amount of something: Victor spent his career in business as a gluttonish investor in all kinds of ways to make much more money than most people can imagine ever doing.

To consume too much food; to eat voraciously or without restraint: Mark's son upset people who were eating with or near him because, instead of taking normal amounts of food and chewing it, he gluttonized, filling his mouth with large amounts and swallowing it as if he were starving.

1. A reference to devouring too much and doing it selfishly: Joseph was accused of being more gluttonous than his brothers because he was always taking much more on his plate than they did.
2. Characteristic of overindulging in desires for something: Tommy, the gluttonous little boy, made considerable demands for constant attention by his parents.

Bryan was the most gluttonous person when working in front of his computer than anyone else in the office.

The habit or act of ingesting too much or drinking excessively: Mariah couldn't tolerate her husband's gluttony of eating such large quantities of food any longer; so, she was considering divorcing him.

Gluttony is said to be a vice or sin which is classified as one of the seven deadly sins.