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offal - 5 dictionary results

of⋅fal

  [aw-fuhl, of-uhl]
Use offal in a Sentence
–noun
1. the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; carrion.
2. the parts of a butchered animal removed in dressing; viscera.
3. refuse; rubbish; garbage.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME, equiv. to of off + fal fall; cf. D afval
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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of·fal   (ô'fəl, ŏf'əl)   
n.  
  1. Waste parts, especially of a butchered animal.
  2. Refuse; rubbish.

[Middle English : of-, off (from Old English, from of; see apo- in Indo-European roots) + fal, fall.]
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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Offal

Of"fal\, n. [Off + fall.]

1. The rejected or waste parts of a butchered animal.

2. A dead body; carrion. --Shak.

3. That which is thrown away as worthless or unfit for use; refuse; rubbish.

The off als of other profession. --South.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : offal
Spanish: asaduras, menudos,
German: die Innereien (pl.),
Japanese: 臓物
More Translations »

offal 
1398, "waste parts, refuse," from off + fall; the notion being that which "falls off" the butcher's block; perhaps a translation of M.Du. afval.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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offal

any of various nonmuscular parts of the carcasses of beef and veal, mutton and lamb, and pork, which are either consumed directly as food or used in the production of other foods. Variety meats have been a part of the human diet since the invention of cooking, which rendered the otherwise indigestible animal parts edible. In nutritional terms, several variety meats are richer in certain vitamins, minerals, and forms of protein than muscle tissue; calf's liver, for example, is a major dietary source of iron, and sweetbread (thymus) is considerably higher in the water-soluble protein albumin than is beef.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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