offal

[aw-fuh l, of-uh l]

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noun

the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; carrion.

the parts of a butchered animal removed in dressing; viscera.

refuse; rubbish; garbage.

Origin of offal

1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to of off + fal fall; compare Dutch afval

Can be confusedawful awesome offal (see usage note at awful)

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

Related Words for offal

refuse, trash, remains, junk, carrion, debris, rubbish, waste, leaving

Examples from the Web for offal

Contemporary Examples of offal

This is the home base of the "King of Offal," Chris Cosentino.
Fresh Picks
Eli Kirshtein
February 23, 2010
Incanto is the home base of the “King of Offal,” who is known for cooking any part of any animal.
Fresh Picks
Eli Kirshtein
February 23, 2010

Historical Examples of offal

Offal and carrion were strewn all about the place; it swarmed with flies.
When the West Was Young
Frederick R. Bechdolt
Wherever I turned the place was saturated with the blood of fish and offal.
The Land of the Long Night
Paul du Chaillu
I have seen Mary contending with the pigs for the offal thrown into the street.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
I have seen poor Mary contending for the offal, with the pigs in the street.
My Bondage and My Freedom
Frederick Douglass
They dropped and died on the dust-heaps they had been rummaging for offal.
The Dop Doctor
Clotilde Inez Mary Graves

British Dictionary definitions for offal

offal

noun

the edible internal parts of an animal, such as the heart, liver, and tongue

dead or decomposing organic matter

refuse; rubbish

Word Origin for offal

C14: from off + fall, referring to parts fallen or cut off; compare German Abfall rubbish

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

Word Origin and History for offal

late 14c., "waste parts, refuse," from off + fall (v.); the notion being that which "falls off" the butcher's block; perhaps a translation of Middle Dutch afval.