meal Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the food served and eaten at one time
    repast.
  2. noun any of the occasions for eating food that occur by custom or habit at more or less fixed times
  3. noun coarsely ground foodstuff; especially seeds of various cereal grasses or pulse

WordNet

Meal noun
Etymology
OE. mele, AS. ml part, portion, portion of time; akin to E. meal a repast. Cf. Piecemeal.
Definitions
  1. A part; a fragment; a portion. Obs.
Meal noun
Etymology
OE. mel; akin to E. meal a part, and to D. maal time, meal, G. mal time, mahl meal, Icel. mal measure, time, meal, Goth. ml time, and to E. measure. See Measure.
Definitions
  1. The portion of food taken at a particular time for the satisfaction of appetite; the quantity usually taken at one time with the purpose of satisfying hunger; a repast; the ac or time of eating a meal; as, the traveler has not eaten a good meal for a week; there was silence during the meal.
    What strange fish Hath made his meal on thee ? Shak.
Meal noun
Etymology
OE. mele, AS. melu, melo; akin to D. meel, G. mehl, OHG. melo, Icel. mjöl, SW. mjöl, Dan. meel, also to D. malen to grind, G. mahlen, OHG., OS., & Goth. malan, Icel. mala, W. malu, L. molere, Gr. mill, and E. mill. . Cf. Mill, Mold soil, Mole an animal, Immolate, Molar.
Definitions
  1. Grain (esp. maize, rye, or oats) that is coarsely ground and unbolted; also, a kind of flour made from beans, pease, etc.; sometimes, any flour, esp. if coarse.
  2. Any substance that is coarsely pulverized like meal, but not granulated.
Meal transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To sprinkle with, or as with, meal. Shak.
  2. To pulverize; as, mealed powder.

Webster 1913