Meal Names an Occasion and Also Ground Grain
A meal is food eaten at one sitting. A separate meal is coarsely ground grain.
A meal is the food eaten at one sitting, and also coarsely ground grain. The two are unrelated. The occasion comes from Old English *mæl*, meaning a measure or fixed time — a meal was originally an appointed time, and the food took the name of the hour. The ground grain is Old English *melu*, related to *mill* and *mould*. That earlier sense of a fixed point survives in *piecemeal*, meaning a little at a time.
- Food at one sitting. *An evening meal.*
- Ground grain. *Oatmeal.*
- A fixed time (archaic). *Mæl.*
- Piecemeal — bit by bit. *Piecemeal.*
- Old English — *mæl* and *melu*. *Two sources.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | meal | A meal. |
| Plural | meals | Meals. |
| Compound | oatmeal | Oatmeal. |
| Compound | piecemeal | Piecemeal. |
| Old English | mæl | A measure. |
- They shared a meal.Food.
- Cornmeal and water.Grain.
- Piecemeal means bit by bit.Survival.
The measure family
- Meal — an appointed time to eat
- Piecemeal — a piece at a time
- Mealtime — the time itself, doubling the sense
- German *Mal*, a time or occasion, is the same word
- Dutch *maal* means both a meal and a time
The occasion is Old English *mæl*, a measure or appointed time. The grain is Old English *melu*, related to *mill*.
Are the two meals related?
No. One comes from a word meaning an appointed time, the other from a word meaning ground grain, related to mill.
What does piecemeal mean?
A piece at a time. The second element preserves the old sense of meal as a measure or portion.