meal


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Related to meal: meal plan

meal 1

 (mēl)
n.
1. The edible whole or coarsely ground grains of a cereal grass.
2. A granular substance produced by grinding.

[Middle English mele, from Old English melu; see melə- in Indo-European roots.]

meal 2

 (mēl)
n.
1. The food served and eaten in one sitting.
2. A customary time or occasion of eating food.

[Middle English mele, from Old English mǣl; see mē- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

meal

(miːl)
n
1. (Cookery)
a. any of the regular occasions, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc, when food is served and eaten
b. (in combination): mealtime. prandial
2. (Cookery) the food served and eaten
3. make a meal of informal to perform (a task) with unnecessarily great effort
[Old English mǣl measure, set time, meal; related to Old High German māl mealtime]

meal

(miːl)
n
1. (Agriculture) the edible part of a grain or pulse (excluding wheat) ground to a coarse powder, used chiefly as animal food
2. (Cookery) Scot oatmeal
3. (Cookery) chiefly US maize flour
[Old English melu; compare Dutch meel, Old High German melo, Old Norse mjöl]
ˈmeal-less adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

meal1

(mil)

n.
1. the food served and eaten at one time or occasion.
2. one such regular time or occasion for eating.
[before 900; Old English mǣl measure, meal, c. Old High German māl, Old Norse māl, Gothic mēl time]

adj.

meal2

(mil)

n.
1. a coarse, unsifted powder ground from the edible seeds of any grain: barley meal.
2. any ground or powdery substance, as of nuts or seeds.
[before 900; Middle English mele, Old English melu, c. Old Frisian mele, Old Saxon, Old High German melo, Old Norse mjǫl; akin to Gothic malan, Latin molere to grind; compare mill1]

-meal

a suffix, now unproductive, used to form adverbs denoting a progression or succession of amounts: inchmeal; piecemeal.
[Middle English -mele, Old English -mǣlum, comb. form representing mǣl meal1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.meal - the food served and eaten at one timemeal - the food served and eaten at one time
course - part of a meal served at one time; "she prepared a three course meal"
dish - a particular item of prepared food; "she prepared a special dish for dinner"
mess - a meal eaten in a mess hall by service personnel
aliment, alimentation, nourishment, nutriment, sustenance, victuals, nutrition - a source of materials to nourish the body
square meal - a substantial and nourishing meal; "he seldom got three square meals a day"
potluck - whatever happens to be available especially when offered to an unexpected guest or when brought by guests and shared by all; "having arrived unannounced we had to take potluck"; "a potluck supper"
refection - a light meal or repast
breakfast - the first meal of the day (usually in the morning)
brunch - combination breakfast and lunch; usually served in late morning
dejeuner, lunch, luncheon, tiffin - a midday meal
afternoon tea, teatime, tea - a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes; "an Englishman would interrupt a war to have his afternoon tea"
dinner - the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday; "dinner will be at 8"; "on Sundays they had a large dinner when they returned from church"
supper - a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
buffet - a meal set out on a buffet at which guests help themselves
picnic - any informal meal eaten outside or on an excursion
collation, snack, bite - a light informal meal
nosh-up - a large satisfying meal
ploughman's lunch - a meal consisting of a sandwich of bread and cheese and a salad
banquet, feast, spread - a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed; "a banquet for the graduating seniors"; "the Thanksgiving feast"; "they put out quite a spread"
helping, serving, portion - an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal; "the helpings were all small"; "his portion was larger than hers"; "there's enough for two servings each"
entremets, side dish, side order - a dish that is served with, but is subordinate to, a main course
sandwich - two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them
2.meal - any of the occasions for eating food that occur by custom or habit at more or less fixed times
occasion - the time of a particular event; "on the occasion of his 60th birthday"
3.meal - coarsely ground foodstuffmeal - coarsely ground foodstuff; especially seeds of various cereal grasses or pulse
food product, foodstuff - a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food
kibble - coarsely ground grain in the form of pellets (as for pet food)
cornmeal, Indian meal - coarsely ground corn
farina - fine meal made from cereal grain especially wheat; often used as a cooked cereal or in puddings
matzah meal, matzo meal, matzoh meal - meal made from ground matzos
rolled oats, oatmeal - meal made from rolled or ground oats
pea flour - meal made from dried peas
pinole - meal made of finely ground corn mixed with sugar and spices
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

meal

noun repast, board, spread (informal), snack, something to eat, banquet, dinner, feast, bite to eat (informal) It's rare that I have a meal with my children.
make a meal of something overdo, exaggerate, overstate, overplay, do to death (informal), belabour He always makes a meal of the simplest little thing.
Related words
adjective prandial

Types of meal

afternoon tea, banquet, barbecue or (Austral.) barbie, beanfeast, breakfast, brunch, buffet, cream tea, dinner, elevenses, feast, fish fry (U.S.), high tea or tea, lunch or luncheon, picnic, smorgasbord, snack, supper, tapas, tiffin
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
دقيق الذُّرَه أو الطَّحينوَجْبَةٌوَجْبَه
ядене
jídlomoukapokrmšrot
måltidgroft melhavregryn
manĝaĵo
jahusöök
ateria
obrokjelo
étkezés
málsverîurmáltíðmjöl, malaî korn
食事
기울밀기울식사
valgis
ēdienreizeēdiensmaltīterupja maluma milti
obrok
måltidmjöl
มื้ออาหาร
öğünyemekkepekli un
bữa ăn

meal

1 [miːl]
A. Ncomida f
to go for a mealir a comer fuera
to have a (good) mealcomer (bien)
I don't eat between mealsno como entre horas
meals on wheelsservicio m de comidas a domicilio (para ancianos)
to make a meal of sth (= dramatize) → exagerar algo; (= make the most of) → sacar todo el jugo posible a algo; (= take time over) → tardar lo suyo en hacer algo
B. CPD meal ticket N (lit) → vale m de comida (fig) she's just looking for a meal ticketsólo busca a alguien que la mantenga

meal

2 [miːl] N (= flour) → harina f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

meal

[ˈmiːl] n
(breakfast, lunch, dinner)repas m
to go out for a meal → aller manger au restaurant, sortir manger
to have a square meal → faire un bon repas
to make a meal of sth (British) (= take a long time over) → faire tout un plat de qch
(= flour) → farine fmeals on wheels npl (British) repas livrés à domicile aux personnes âgées ou handicapéesmeal ticket n
(= voucher) → ticket-repas m
(fig) (providing financial support) (= thing) → gagne-pain m inv (= person) → vache f à lait
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

meal

:
meals on wheels
nEssen ntauf Rädern
meal ticket
n
(US: lit) → Essensbon mor -marke f
(fig) that letter of introduction was his meal for the next few monthsdank des Empfehlungsschreibens konnte er sich die nächsten paar Monate über Wasser halten; a boyfriend is just a meal to a lot of girlsviele Mädchen haben nur einen Freund, um sich von ihm aushalten zu lassen
mealtime
nEssenszeit f; you shouldn’t smoke at mealsSie sollten während des Essens nicht rauchen

meal

1
nSchrot (→ mehl nt) m; meat and bone mealTiermehl nt

meal

2
n
Mahlzeit f; (= food)Essen nt; come round for a mealkomm zum Essen (zu uns); to go for a mealessen gehen; to have a (good) meal(gut) essen; hot mealswarme Mahlzeiten pl, → warmes Essen; I haven’t had a meal for two daysich habe seit zwei Tagen nichts Richtiges mehr gegessen; to make a meal of something (inf)etw auf sehr umständliche Art machen; don’t make a meal of it (inf)nun übertreibs mal nicht (inf)
(= set meal)Menü nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

meal

1 [miːl] n (flour) → farina

meal

2 [miːl] npasto
to have a meal → mangiare
to have a good meal → mangiar bene
to go out for a meal → mangiare fuori
what a lovely meal → che pranzo delizioso (or cena deliziosa)
to make a meal of sth (fam) → fare di qc un affare di stato
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

meal1

(miːl) noun
the food taken at one time. She eats three meals a day.
meals on wheels
free meals delivered by car etc to the elderly and the sick.
make a meal of (something)
to take more than the necessary amount of time or trouble over (something) or make (it) seem more complicated than it really is. He really made a meal of that job – it took him four hours!

meal2

(miːl) noun
the edible parts of grain ground to a coarse powder. a sack of meal; oatmeal.
ˈmealy adjective
like, or containing, meal.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

meal

وَجْبَةٌ pokrm måltid Essen γεύμα comida ateria repas obrok pasto 食事 식사 maal måltid posiłek refeição прием пищи måltid มื้ออาหาร öğün bữa ăn 一餐
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

meal

n. comida;
at ___ timea la hora de la ___.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

meal

n comida; Meals on Wheels programa m para repartir comidas a domicilio a gente de edad avanzada
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Forth from it he drew--not shining gold--but handfuls of fine meal which he dashed into the eager faces of the men around him.
Now get thee gone, Arthur, with the money, and bring the food here, for there is a sweet shade in that thicket yonder, beside the road, and there will we eat our meal."
After the morning meal was concluded, pipes were lighted; and among them my own especial pipe, a present from the noble Mehevi.
I took the sack of corn meal and took it to where the canoe was hid, and shoved the vines and branches apart and put it in; then I done the same with the side of bacon; then the whisky-jug.
Then the Hunter said that to the old donkey, which was the witch, three beatings and one meal; to the younger one, which was the servant, one beating and three meals; and to the youngest one, which was the maiden, no beating and three meals; for he could not find it in his heart to let the maiden be beaten.
'My stars!' said she, 'what shall I do to keep Frederick from seeing all this slopping about?' So she thought a while; and at last remembered that there was a sack of fine meal bought at the last fair, and that if she sprinkled this over the floor it would suck up the ale nicely.
There was really an air of romance in the meal and in the place.
Piperson fetched meal from a chest and made porridge.
The people seemed to have no other idea than to live on this fat meat and corn bread,--the meat, and the meal of which the bread was made, having been bought at a high price at a store in town, notwithstanding the face that the land all about the cabin homes could easily have been made to produce nearly every kind of garden vegetable that is raised anywhere in the country.
Outside the door Sven Anderssen paused with the noonday meal he had been carrying to Lady Greystoke.
Thus it was that we lunched together amid the books and birds, in an exquisite solitude a deux; for the ringer of the silver bell had disappeared, having left a dainty meal in readiness--for two.
In sage and silent companionship of two, they went flying, noiseless, along the quiet lanes in search of a meal. At one time they would beat a field like a setter dog, and drop down in an instant on a mouse unaware of them.