mealnoun詞源 1/ˈmiːl/

• 1

  Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.

  • Breakfast is the morning meal, lunch is the noon meal, and dinner, or supper, is the evening meal.
  • c1450, Secreta Secretorumː He that will cast meal upon meal is not able to have (a) long life.
• 2

  Food served or eaten as a repast.

  • a1450, The Macro Playsː If thou wilt fare well at meat and meal, come and follow me.
  • This is the meal pleasantly set . . . . this is the meat and drink for natural hunger, / It is for the wicked just the same as the righteous . . . .
• 3

  informalA break taken by a police officer in order to eat.

  • They [tape recorders] can be turned off while officers are on meal or in the car to protect their private conversations […]
  • “I was on meal when I heard the call on the radio and recognized the address. What the hell?”
• 4

  obsoleteA time or an occasion.

  • Ye wolde wepe at every mele; But for my sone wepe ye never a dele. You would weep at every meal, but for my son you never weep a deal.
  • […] by occasion whereoff thai woll than at every mele groche with the kinge […] […] by occasion whereof they will, then at every meal, grouch with the king […]

mealnoun詞源 2/ˈmiːl/

• 1

  The ground-up edible part of various grains, used as a basis of food or feed; either flour or a coarser blend than flour (usage varies).

  • Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
• 2

  Any of various similarly granular materials prepared from other sources, such as bones or wood.

• 3

  Any of various other granular or powdery materials, either ground by humans or occurring in nature, named figuratively after a resemblance to grain meal.

mealverb詞源 2/ˈmiːl/

• 1

  obsoleteTo yield or be plentiful in meal.

  • Of course the yield of grain was small, but much greater than could have been expected; and, the ears being well filled, it mealed well. The pastures were burnt up, so that there was nothing left for the cattle to eat.

mealnoun詞源 3/ˈmiːl/

• 1

  dialectalA speck or spot.

• 2

  A part; a fragment; a portion.

mealverb詞源 3/ˈmiːl/

• 1

  To defile or taint.

  • Were he meal'd with that / Which he corrects, than were he tyrannous.