Word of the Day

: July 10, 2023

bon vivant

noun bahn-vee-VAHNT

What It Means

A bon vivant is a sociable person who has cultivated and refined tastes especially with respect to food and drink.

// She has become something of a bon vivant since moving to Paris, going out most nights and delighting in the city's many famous restaurants.

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bon vivant in Context

“Le Magritte is a humble bar that gets everything right. The service is timely and perceptive, the cocktails ... are subtle twists on spirituous classics that are delightful without trying to be the centre of attention. The bar bites are truly buzzworthy, too ... enough to leave any bon vivant smiling from ear to ear.” — Tyler Zielinski, The (London) Evening Standard, 19 July 2022

Did You Know?

Do you consider yourself a bon vivant? If you’re not sure, perhaps a peek into the word’s origin will help. In French, the phrase literally means “good liver.” Fear not if you are among those who are underinformed about the state of their liver. The “liver” here is not the bodily organ, but one who lives; a bon vivant is one who lives well. English speakers have used bon vivant since the late 17th century to refer specifically to those who subscribe to a particular kind of good living—one that involves lots of social engagements and the enjoyment of fancy food and drink. This puts the term very much in the company of some other French words. Gourmet, gourmand, and gastronome all refer to those who love a fancy meal (though gourmand often carries the connotation of a tendency to overindulge). Bon appétit!