mealie

[ mee-lee ]

/ ˈmi li /

noun South African.

Sometimes mealies. corn; maize.

an ear of corn.

Words nearby mealie

meager, meagre, meal, meal moth, meal ticket, mealie, mealie meal, mealie pap, mealies, meals on wheels, mealtime

Origin of mealie

1850–55; < Afrikaans mielie < Portuguese milho maize, millet < Latin milium millet

Also called mielie.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mealies

In former days, meat was very sparingly eaten among the Amaxosa races, milk and mealies being the staple articles of diet.
'Tween Snow and Fire|Bertram Mitford
The ration of sugar was increased by one ounce to-day, the mealies by two ounces, so as to give the men porridge in the morning.
Ladysmith|H. W. Nevinson
Barrels of mealies or Indian corn, and wheaten flour, besides.
Off to the Wilds|George Manville Fenn
Bessie sank on a half-emptied sack of mealies and tried to reflect.
Jess|H. Rider Haggard

What is now known as the 'donkeys and mealies scandal' was one of them.
The Transvaal from Within|J. P. Fitzpatrick

British Dictionary definitions for mealies (1 of 2)

mealies

mielies

/ (ˈmiːlɪz) /

noun

(functioning as singular) a South African word for maize

British Dictionary definitions for mealies (2 of 2)

mealie

mielie

/ (ˈmiːlɪ) /

noun

Southern African an ear of maizeSee also mealies

Word Origin for mealie

C19: from Afrikaans milie, from Portuguese milho, from Latin milium millet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012