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gruel

 - 3 dictionary results

gru⋅el

  [groo-uhl]
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–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.
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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.
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Word Origin & History

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
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