meal definition | Dictionary.com

meal

1 [meel]

–noun

1.	the food served and eaten esp. at one of the customary, regular occasions for taking food during the day, as breakfast, lunch, or supper.

2.	one of these regular occasions or times for eating food.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE mǣl measure, fixed time, occasion, meal; c. G Mal time, Mahl meal, ON māl, Goth mēl time, hour

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : meal

Spanish:

comida,

German:

die Mahlzeit,

Japanese:

食事

View 30 other languages »

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meal

2 [meel]

–noun

1.	a coarse, unsifted powder ground from the edible seeds of any grain: wheat meal; cornmeal.

2.	any ground or powdery substance, as of nuts or seeds, resembling this.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME mele, OE melu; c. G Mehl, D meel, ON mjǫl; akin to Goth malan, L molere to grind. See mill ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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meal¹ (mēl) Pronunciation Key
n.

The edible whole or coarsely ground grains of a cereal grass.
A granular substance produced by grinding.

[Middle English mele, from Old English melu; see melə- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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meal² (mēl) Pronunciation Key
n.

The food served and eaten in one sitting.
A customary time or occasion of eating food.

[Middle English mele, from Old English mǣl; see mē-² in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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meal (1)

"food, time for eating," O.E. mæl "fixed time, a measure, meal," from P.Gmc. *mæla- (cf. Du. maal "time, meal," O.N. mal "measure, time, meal," Ger. Mal "time," Goth. mel "time, hour"), from PIE base *me- "to measure" (see meter (2)). Probably related to O.E. mæð "measure." Original sense of "time" is preserved in piecemeal; once a more common suffix, e.g. O.E. styccemælum "bit by bit," gearmælum "year by year." Meals-on-wheels attested from 1961. Meal ticket first attested 1870 in lit. sense of "ticket of admission to a dining hall;" fig. sense of "source of income or livelihood" is from 1899.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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meal (2)

"ground grain," O.E. melu, from W.Gmc. *melwan "grind" (cf. Ger. malen "to grind," Mehl "meal"), from PIE base *mel-/*mol-/*ml- "to grind, soft" (cf. Hittite mallanzi "they grind," Arm. malem "I crush, bruise," Gk. malakos "soft," Alb. miel "meal, flour," L. molere "to grind," O.C.S. meljo, Lith. malu "to grind;" see mill (1)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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meal
noun
1.	the food served and eaten at one time
2.	any of the occasions for eating food that occur by custom or habit at more or less fixed times
3.	coarsely ground foodstuff; especially seeds of various cereal grasses or pulse

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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meal

In addition to the idiom beginning with meal; also see square meal.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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meal ¹ (mēl)
n.

The edible whole or coarsely ground grains of a cereal grass.
A granular substance produced by grinding.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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meal ²
n.

The food served and eaten in one sitting.
A customary time or occasion of eating food.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source

Main Entry: meal
Pronunciation: 'mE(&)l
Function: noun
: the portion of food taken at one time to satisfy appetite

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Meal

Meal\ (m[=e]l), n. [OE. mele, AS. m[=ae]l part, portion, portion of time; akin to E. meal a repast. Cf. Piecemeal.] A part; a fragment; a portion. [Obs.]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Meal

Meal\, n. [OE. mel; akin to E. meal a part, and to D. maal time, meal, G. mal time, mahl meal, Icel. m[=a]l measure, time, meal, Goth. m[=e]l time, and to E. measure. See Measure.] The portion of food taken at a particular time for the satisfaction of appetite; the quantity usually taken at one time with the purpose of satisfying hunger; a repast; the act or time of eating a meal; as, the traveler has not eaten a good meal for a week; there was silence during the meal.

What strange fish Hath made his meal on thee ? --Shak.

Meal

Meal\, n. [OE. mele, AS. melu, melo; akin to D. meel, G. mehl, OHG. melo, Icel. mj["o]l, SW. mj["o]l, Dan. meel, also to D. malen to grind, G. mahlen, OHG., OS., & Goth. malan, Icel. mala, W. malu, L. molere, Gr. my`lh mill, and E. mill. [root]108. Cf. Mill, Mold soil, Mole an animal, Immolate, Molar.]

1. Grain (esp. maize, rye, or oats) that is coarsely ground and unbolted; also, a kind of flour made from beans, pease, etc.; sometimes, any flour, esp. if coarse.

2. Any substance that is coarsely pulverized like meal, but not granulated.

Meal beetle (Zo["o]l.), the adult of the meal worm. See Meal worm, below.

Meal moth (Zo["o]l.), a lepidopterous insect (Asopia farinalis), the larv[ae] of which feed upon meal, flour, etc.

Meal worm (Zo["o]l.), the larva of a beetle (Tenebrio molitor) which infests granaries, bakehouses, etc., and is very injurious to flour and meal.

Meal

Meal\, v. t. 1. To sprinkle with, or as with, meal. --Shak.

2. To pulverize; as, mealed powder.