meal

¹

[meel]

noun

1. the food served and eaten especially at one of the customary, regular occasions for taking food during the day, as breakfast, lunch, or supper.

2. one of these regular occasions or times for eating food.

meal

²

[meel]

noun

1. a coarse, unsifted powder ground from the edible seeds of any grain.

   wheat meal;

   cornmeal.

2. any ground or powdery substance, as of nuts or seeds, resembling this.

-meal

³

1. a native English combining form, now unproductive, denoting a fixed measure at a time.

   piecemeal.

meal

¹

/ miːl /

noun

1. 1. any of the regular occasions, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc, when food is served and eaten

   2. ( in combination )

      mealtime

2. the food served and eaten

3. informal,  to perform (a task) with unnecessarily great effort

meal

²

/ miːl /

noun

1. the edible part of a grain or pulse (excluding wheat) ground to a coarse powder, used chiefly as animal food

2. oatmeal

3. maize flour

Other Word Forms

• mealless adjective
• meal-less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meal¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mǣl “measure, fixed time, occasion”; cognate with German Mal “time,” Mahl “meal,” Old Norse māl, Gothic mēl “time, hour”

Origin of meal²

First recorded before 900; Middle English mele, Old English melu; cognate with German Mehl, Dutch meel, Old Norse mjǫl, Gothic malan; akin to Latin molere “to grind” ( mill ¹ )

Origin of meal³

Middle English -mele, Old English -mǣlum, combining form representing mǣl meal ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of meal¹

Old English mǣl measure, set time, meal; related to Old High German māl mealtime

Origin of meal²

Old English melu; compare Dutch meel, Old High German melo, Old Norse mjöl

Idioms and Phrases

• square meal

Example Sentences

Asylum seekers in hotels are provided with three meals a day, but we have heard concerns about the standard of food at Clearsprings' subcontracted accommodation.

From BBC

Last month Patterson, 51, was jailed for life with no chance of release for at least 33 years, for murdering three relatives and trying to kill another with a toxic mushroom meal.

From BBC

After three months of research and development, the end result is a whimsical meal surrounded by four-dimensional art that diners can interact with, not simply observe.

From Salon

It doesn’t quite work as a concept if you think too much about it, but Hernández makes a meal yet again out of playing a Latino elder with strong opinions.

From Los Angeles Times

A poor diet can also weaken the immune system and, for many students, eating healthily isn't easy - especially when skipping meals is a regular occurrence.

From BBC

Related Words

• breakfast 
• brunch 
• dessert 
• dinner 
• fare 
• feast 
• lunch 
• luncheon 
• picnic 
• refreshment 
• snack 
• supper 
• table 
• tea