morsel

American  

[mawr-suhl] / ˈmɔr səl /

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.

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verb (used with object)

1. to distribute in or divide into tiny portions (often followed byout ).

   to morsel out the last pieces of meat.

morsel British  

/ ˈmɔːsəl /

noun

1. a small slice or mouthful of food

2. a small piece; bit

3. informal a term of endearment for a child

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Etymology

Origin of morsel

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; see -elle

Explanation

A morsel is a small amount of something, a tid-bit, a sliver, usually of something of high-quality and much desired — like a morsel of dark chocolate or a morsel of secret information. Originally it referred specifically to food — a nineteenth century lady might partake of a "dainty morsel" to eat, for example. More often than not morsel now refers to non-food items: a morsel of good taste; a morsel of common sense, and, of course, most popular of all, a morsel of gossip. That's why, like all good food, all good gossip is juicy.

Example Sentences

The cattle shortage has led companies to try to cut costs and scrape every morsel of meat off each cattle carcass.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Allow yourself to feel that same sweetness in your heart, knowing that with every morsel of happiness that any one human experiences, the entire vibration of the planet is raised.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025

"I'd lost every morsel of confidence that I possibly could have had," remembers Williams.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2025

I'm really fine with not needing to optimize every morsel I consume for maximum nutrition and health.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2024

Obviously, he was trying to make me behave like an animal, inching closer to some morsel of food in his hand.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

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