gannet

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.
• A voracious eater; a glutton.

Origin

• From Middle English ganet, gante, from Old English ganot, from Proto-West Germanic *ganat, *ganatō, from Proto-Germanic *ganataz, *ganutô, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *ganzô.
• Cognate with Dutch gent, Low German gante, German Ganze, Ganz, Genz.