Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
gruel - 4 dictionary results

gru⋅el

  [groo-uhl]
Use gruel in a Sentence
–noun
a light, usually thin, cooked cereal made by boiling meal, esp. oatmeal, in water or milk.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME < MF, OF, equiv. to gru- (< Gmc; see grout ) + -el dim. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To gruel
gru·el   (grōō'əl)   
n.  
  1. A thin watery porridge.
  2. Chiefly British Severe punishment.

[Middle English, from Old French, of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Gruel

Gru"el\, n. [OF. gruel, F. gruau; of German origin; cf. OHG. gruzzi groats, G. gr["u]tze, As. grut. See Grout.] A light, liquid food, made by boiling meal of maize, oatmeal, or fiour in water or milk; thin porridge.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

gruel 
1199, from O.Fr. gruel, from Frank. *grut (cf. M.Du. grute "coarse meal, malt;" M.H.G. gruz "grain"); gruelling "exhausting, punishing," first recorded 1891, from late 18c. slang get one's gruel "receive one's punishment."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see gruel on Thesaurus | Reference