Viand
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An item of food. archaic
"There was a time, when all the bodies members / Rebell'd againſt the Belly; thus accus'd it: / That onely like a Gulfe it did remaine / I'th midd'ſt a th'body, idle and vnactiue, / Still cubbording the Viand, neuer bearing / Like labour with the reſt, where th'other Inſtruments / Did ſee, and heare, deuiſe, inſtruct, walke, feele, / And mutually participate, did miniſter / Vnto the appetite; […]"
- 2 a choice or delicious dish wordnet
- 3 A choice dish. archaic
"The Motier and Lepelletier tables still groan with viands; roofs ringing with patriotic toasts."
- 4 rice topping; any food eaten with rice as a part of a main course meal. Philippines
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The viand prepared by Nanay is delicious."
Etymology
From Middle English vyaund, from Anglo-Norman and Old French viande, from Late Latin *vivanda, from Latin vīvenda, from the verb vīvō (“I live”). Compare victual. The Philippines usage is an anglicization of Spanish vianda (which is ultimately from Latin via French), which is used to translate ulam in Tagalog. See also usage notes.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.