meat

[meet]

noun

1. the flesh of animals as used for food: in particular, mammals, especially livestock and game, and often including poultry and game birds.

2. the edible part of anything, as a fruit or nut.

   Crack the walnuts and remove the meats.

3. the essential point or part of an argument, literary work, etc.; gist; crux.

   The meat of the play is the jealousy between the two brothers.

4. solid food.

   meat and drink.

5. solid or substantial content; pith.

   The article was full of meat, with few wasted words.

6. a favorite occupation, activity, etc..

   Chess is his meat.

7. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.,  pork, especially bacon.

8. Slang: Vulgar.,  penis.

9. Archaic.,  the principal meal.

   to say grace before meat.

meat

/ miːt /

noun

1. the flesh of mammals used as food, as distinguished from that of birds and fish

2. anything edible, esp flesh with the texture of meat

   crab meat

3. food, as opposed to drink

4. the essence or gist

5. an archaic word for meal 1

6. a source of pleasure

7. informal,  to lose nothing because one's offer is not accepted

Other Word Forms

• meatless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meat¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English mete, met, methe “food, nourishment, sustenance,” Old English mete, mett, “food,” cognate with Old High German maz, Old Norse matr, Gothic mats

Word History and Origins

Origin of meat¹

Old English mete; related to Old High German maz food, Old Saxon meti, Gothic mats

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. piece of meat,

   1. a person regarded merely as a sex object.

      Years after winning a beauty pageant, she denounced the competition, saying she’d been crowned the judges’ favorite piece of meat.

   2. a person, as a prizefighter or laborer, regarded merely as a strong or useful physical specimen.

      The trainer never apologized for referring to his boxers as pieces of meat—if you made it to the top, he’d start calling you “Kid.”

More idioms and phrases containing meat

• beat the meat
• one's man's meat is another man's poison

Example Sentences

Brazil, the world's biggest exporter of chicken meat, on Friday welcomed China's move to lift a ban on imports of the product after an outbreak of bird flu earlier this year.

Read more on Barron's

In the skin, this stress response is tied to the amino acid serine, a non-essential nutrient found in common foods like meat, grains, and milk.

Read more on Science Daily

Global food prices fell in October, driven by lower prices for meat, dairy and sugar, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I love a great barbecue, and southern Brazil is known for amazing meat.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The polar bear licked his lips and dreamed of eating meat, as the robot marched into the waves.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• food 
• foodstuff