Definition of meal
1 : an act or the time of eating a portion of food to satisfy appetite
2 : the portion of food eaten at a meal
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Origin and Etymology of meal
Middle English meel appointed time, meal, from Old English mǣl; akin to Old High German māl time, Latin metiri to measure — more at measure
First Known Use: before 12th century
meal
Definition of meal
1 : the usually coarsely ground and unbolted seeds of a cereal grass or pulse; especially : cornmeal
2 : a product resembling seed meal especially in particle size or texture
Origin and Etymology of meal
Middle English mele, from Old English melu; akin to Old High German melo meal, Latin molere to grind, Greek mylē mill
First Known Use: before 12th century
-meal
Definition of -meal
: by a (specified) portion or measure at a time piecemeal
Origin and Etymology of -meal
Middle English -mele, from Old English -mǣlum, from mǣlum, dative plural of mǣl
MEAL Defined for Kids
Definition of meal for Students
1 : the food eaten or prepared for eating at one time
2 : the act or time of eating
Definition of meal for Students
: coarsely ground seeds of a cereal grass and especially of corn
History for meal
You might assume that the meal of “three meals a day” and the meal of “ground meal,” have a common origin, since both words have to do with food. Surprisingly, this is not the case. The meal of “ground meal” comes from Old English melu, a word akin to Latin molere, “to grind” and molina, “mill.” The meal of “three meals a day,” however, is from Old English mæl or mēl, “measure, appointed time, meal time.”
Medical Dictionary
meal
playMedical Definition of meal
: the portion of food taken at one time to satisfy appetite
Learn More about meal
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See words that rhyme with meal Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for meal Spanish Central: Translation of meal Nglish: Translation of meal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of meal for Arabic speakers
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