gruel

American  

[groo-uhl] / ˈgru əl /

noun

1. a light, usually thin, cooked cereal made by boiling meal, especially oatmeal, in water or milk.

---

gruel British  

/ ˈɡruːəl /

noun

1. a drink or thin porridge, made by boiling meal, esp oatmeal, in water or milk

---

Etymology

Origin of gruel

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French, Old French, perhaps via an intermediary such as Medieval Latin grūtellum (unrecorded), from grūtum “flour, meal” (from a Germanic source akin to German Grütze “ground cereal grains”; grits, grout ) + -ellum, diminutive suffix

Compare meaning

How does gruel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gruel vs. porridge

Example Sentences

“The market had expected a confident story of further margin development and was instead served a thin gruel as far as 2030 guidance was concerned.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“You know, kids in other countries have no choice. They have to eat gruel for every meal.”

From Los Angeles Times

His only diversion was to make pictures using the hard bits of grain collected from the meager gruel his jailers gave him.

From New York Times

Wales' finance minister will certainly have an increased public profile before Christmas when she publishes the Welsh government's draft budget next week - although the indications are it'll be thin gruel.

From BBC

Labour's shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook dismissed the government's plans, saying: "If this thin gruel is all we're getting in the King's Speech, leaseholders will have been failed."

From BBC