Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gannet

/ˈɡænɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.21 in modern English

Syllables: gan-net
IPA: /ˈɡænɪt/

7

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of three species of large seabird in the genus Morus, of the family Sulidae. They have black and white bodies and long pointed wings, and hunt for fish by plunge diving and pursuing their prey underwater.

noun

A voracious eater; a glutton.

British usage

verb

To wolf down, gobble or eat (something) voraciously.

British usage; Informal; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Not but that they were kind and humane to a distressed sailor, if ever one had the good luck to get to land; and many a time, indeed, did Jack put out in his little corragh, that would breast the billows like any gannet, to lend a hand towards bringing off the crew from a wreck."
"She was no longer in the company of her older sister and mother who had often scolded her for ganneting down her food."

Etymology

From Middle English ganet, gante, from Old English ganot, from Proto-West Germanic *ganat, *ganatō, from Proto-Germanic *ganatuz, *ganutô (“gander”), ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *ganzô. Cognates Cognate with Dutch gent, Middle Low German gante, German Ganter, Ganser, all “gander, male goose”.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: ganet, ganot, *ganat, *ganatuz, *ganzô

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈɡænɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

gannets (plural) gannets (present, singular) ganneting (participle, present) ganneted (participle, past) ganneted (past)

Derived Forms

gannetry

Phrases

Australasian gannet booby gannet Cape gannet common gannet gannet's bath masked gannet North Atlantic gannet northern gannet

Synonyms

glutton

Rhymes With

planet janet granite

Questions

How do you pronounce gannet?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡænɪt/.
What does gannet mean?: Any of three species of large seabird in the genus Morus, of the family Sulidae. They have black and white bodies and long pointed wings, and hunt for fish by plunge diving and pursuing their prey underwater.
Where does gannet come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce gannet

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