gruel

American  

[groo-uhl] / ˈgru əl /

noun

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

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gruel British  

/ ˈɡruːəl /

noun

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

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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

If you can have the "full-fat option", he asks, why would you go for the "fairly thin gruel" on offer at the moment?

From BBC

By historical standards that’s pretty thin gruel, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says it even might overstate job creation.

From MarketWatch

“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

During the long voyage, the meal offered to captives was usually little more than a worm-ridden gruel—a thin, watery boiled cereal—or a concoction called “dab-a-dab,” a mash of beans, rice, and corn.

From Literature