porridge

[pawr-ij, por-]

noun

1. a food made of oatmeal, or some other meal or cereal, boiled to a thick consistency in water or milk.

porridge

/ ˈpɒrɪdʒ /

noun

1. a dish made from oatmeal or another cereal, cooked in water or milk to a thick consistency

2. slang,  a term in prison (esp in the phrase do porridge )

Other Word Forms

• porridgelike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of porridge¹

1525–35; variant of earlier poddidge, akin to pottage

Word History and Origins

Origin of porridge¹

C16: variant (influenced by Middle English porray pottage) of _pottage

Example Sentences

“In that case, have a hearty breakfast brought to my room. A bowl of hot porridge would hit the spot, with a spoonful of jam—why, what is that in your hand?”

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They took place at breakfast, in the dining hall, over bowls of hot porridge.

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Books and pencils and porridge oats get dearer by the day, and the girls go through embroidery floss at an alarming rate.

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Although the cook was nowhere in sight, she discovered a big pot of porridge keeping warm on the kitchen hearth.

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Gen Z, in its infinite ability to rehabilitate the uncool, has decided that porridge is pleasure.

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Related Words

• gruel 
• oatmeal 
• polenta