morsel

[ mawr-suhl ]

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to distribute in or divide into tiny portions (often followed by out ):

   to morsel out the last pieces of meat.

morsel

/ ˈmɔːsəl /

noun

1. a small slice or mouthful of food
2. a small piece; bit
3. informal.
   a term of endearment for a child

Word History and Origins

Origin of morsel¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of morsel¹

C13: from Old French, from mors a bite, from Latin morsus, from mordēre to bite

Example Sentences

I’m a first-class eavesdropper, and that’s when my chances to overhear juicy morsels are best.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, she marched to the grocery aisle and had a lightbulb moment when she spied a bag of semisweet chocolate morsels.

From Salon

Anchored by its leads, “Coup!” is a tasty morsel of social commentary about problems that continue to plague our world.

From Los Angeles Times

The story emerges in morsels of naturalistic dialogue and brief, on-point scenes that incrementally sketch in the characters’ intimacy, shared history, familial relationships and distinct temperaments.

From New York Times

He traded one cup to the furrier for a morsel of bread and sheep’s-milk cheese.

From Literature

Related Words

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