Origin: 1275–1325; ME vitaille < AF, MF vitail(l)e, OF vituaille < LL victuālia provisions, n. use of neut. pl. of L victuālis pertaining to food, equiv. to victu(s) nourishment, way of living (vic-, var. s. of vīvere to live + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ālis-al1; mod. sp. < L
v.
vict·ualed or vict·ualled, vict·ual·ing or vict·ual·ling, vict·uals
v.
tr. To provide with food. v.
intr.
To lay in food supplies.
To eat.
[Alteration (influenced by Late Latin vīctuālia, provisions) of Middle English vitaille, from Old French, from Late Latin vīctuālia, provisions, from neuter pl. of Latin vīctuālis, of nourishment, from vīctus, nourishment, from past participle of vīvere, to live; see gwei- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: The modern pronunciation of victual, (vĭt'l), represents an Anglicized pronunciation of the Old French form vitaille, which was borrowed into English in the early 14th century. The modern English spelling reflects the fact that in both French and English the word was sometimes spelled with a c, and later also with a u, under the influence of its Late Latin ancestor victuālia, meaning "provisions." The word is now occasionally spelled vittle rather than victual, but in either case the pronunciation is (vĭt'l).
[vit-l] 
noun, verb, -ualed, -ual⋅ing or (especially British
) -ualled, -ual⋅ling.