"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.
[meel] 
