offal

American  

[aw-fuhl, of-uhl] / ˈɔ fəl, ˈɒf əl /

noun

1. the edible organs, or organ parts, of a butchered animal; organ meat.

   Our top three sellers in offal are beef kidney, liver, and tongue.

2. the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; discarded viscera.

3. refuse; rubbish; garbage.

   Before the agent comes to appraise the house, let’s get someone to haul away all this offal in the backyard.

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offal British  

/ ˈɒfəl /

noun

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

2. dead or decomposing organic matter

3. refuse; rubbish

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Etymology

Origin of offal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English offal, offail, orfal “waste material, entrails,” equivalent to of off + fal fall; compare Dutch afval “waste”

Explanation

If you are into eating "all" of a butchered animal, then animal offal is your thing. In some cultures, the throat, heart, stomach, and brains of animals are considered offal delicacies. Bon appétit! The word offal comes from a combination of the words off and fall with the idea that anything that's considered offal has "fallen off" the butcher's block. Some people use these entrails and internal organs as food, although offal is also another name for “rubbish.” Offal isn’t that unusual — liver is a kind of offal, for example. In the case of offal, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

Example Sentences

She buys meat off-cuts and cheaper cuts like offal for Luna as well as adding vegetables and other nutrients, which she cooks and freezes and reheats in the slow cooker.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

It’s a marvelous sequence: a master class in culinary criticism, a snapshot of cross-generational tension and a reminder of how hard it can be to accept the offal truth.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2023

Over lunch, where she had a steaming bowl of beef offal soup, she described her strategy.

From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2023

The term humble pie, for example, comes from pies made with umbles, or scraps of meat and offal that fed peasants who were seated far away from royalty at banquets.

From Seattle Times • May 8, 2023

The first week he vomited daily from the stench of the feces and offal and rotting meat.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen