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piecemeal

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piece⋅meal

  [pees-meel]
Use piecemeal in a Sentence
–adverb
1. piece by piece; one piece at a time; gradually: to work piecemeal.
2. into pieces or fragments: to tear a letter piecemeal.
–adjective
3. done piecemeal.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME pecemele; r. OE styccemǣlum. See piece, -meal
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Peacemeal at Amazon
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piece·meal   (pēs'mēl')   
adv.  

  1. By a small amount at a time; in stages: articles acquired piecemeal.

  2. In pieces; apart.

adj.  Accomplished or made in stages.

[Middle English pecemeale : pece, piece; see piece + -mele, by a fixed measure (from Old English -mǣlum, at a time, from dative pl. of mǣl, appointed time; see mē-2 in Indo-European roots).]
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

piecemeal 
1297, from piece + O.E. mælum "at a time," dative plural of mæl "appointed time, food served" (see meal (1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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