morsel

American  

[mawr-suhl] / ˈmɔr səl /

noun

1. a bite, mouthful, or small portion of food, candy, etc.

2. a small piece, quantity, or amount of anything; scrap; bit.

3. something very appetizing; treat or tidbit.

4. a person or thing that is attractive or delightful.

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verb (used with object)

1. to distribute in or divide into tiny portions (often followed byout ).

   to morsel out the last pieces of meat.

morsel British  

/ ˈmɔːsəl /

noun

1. a small slice or mouthful of food

2. a small piece; bit

3. informal  a term of endearment for a child

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Etymology

Origin of morsel

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French, equivalent to mors a bite (< Latin morsum something bitten off, noun use of neuter of morsus, past participle of mordēre to bite) + -el < Latin -ellus diminutive suffix; -elle

Example Sentences

This is because over time it builds up a wider picture by piecing together the morsels it may extract from a wide range of people.

From BBC

The cattle shortage has led companies to try to cut costs and scrape every morsel of meat off each cattle carcass.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then, the table is blanketed in banchan, side dishes meant to complement and elevate the meal, as well as rice, perilla, lettuce, and endive, to wrap morsels of grilled meat.

From Salon

The only otter seen on Thursday was way off shore, floating on its back atop a kelp bed — presumably eating some tasty morsel, such as a crab or abalone, retrieved from the sea floor.

From Los Angeles Times

The main course, a whole fried sea bream, served with a ginger fish sauce caramel, peanuts, herbs, lemon, and wild pepper leaves to delicately wrap each fried morsel, truly blew me away.

From Salon

Related Words

• chunk
• crumb
• hunk
• mouthful
• snack
• tidbit