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MEAL
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Coarsely ground foodstuff; especially seeds of various cereal grasses or pulse
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("meal" is a kind of...):
food product; foodstuff (a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "meal"):
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)
oatmeal; rolled oats (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)
Derivation:
mealy (containing meal or made of meal)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The food served and eaten at one time
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("meal" is a kind of...):
aliment; alimentation; nourishment; nutriment; nutrition; sustenance; victuals (a source of materials to nourish the body)
Meronyms (parts of "meal"):
dish (a particular item of prepared food)
course (part of a meal served at one time)
helping; portion; serving (an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal)
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)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "meal"):
banquet; feast; spread (a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed)
ploughman's lunch (a meal consisting of a sandwich of bread and cheese and a salad)
nosh-up (a large satisfying meal)
bite; collation; snack (a light informal meal)
picnic (any informal meal eaten outside or on an excursion)
buffet (a meal set out on a buffet at which guests help themselves)
supper (a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime)
dinner (the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday)
afternoon tea; tea; teatime (a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes)
dejeuner; lunch; luncheon; tiffin (a midday meal)
brunch (combination breakfast and lunch; usually served in late morning)
breakfast (the first meal of the day (usually in the morning))
refection (a light meal or repast)
potluck (whatever happens to be available especially when offered to an unexpected guest or when brought by guests and shared by all)
square meal (a substantial and nourishing meal)
mess (a meal eaten in a mess hall by service personnel)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Any of the occasions for eating food that occur by custom or habit at more or less fixed times
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Hypernyms ("meal" is a kind of...):
occasion (the time of a particular event)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Present simple (first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural) of the verb meal
Context examples:
They served their meal on their grub-box, sitting on Messner's grub-box and facing him.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
This pleased Dorothy, who had eaten nothing but nuts all day, and she made a hearty meal of the ripe fruit.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
Brissenden never arrived without his quart of whiskey, and when they dined together down-town, he drank Scotch and soda throughout the meal.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
It was nearly nightfall, and we had eaten nothing since early morning, so that we spent some time over our meal.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“What a lucky thing,” said she, “that we kept that meal! we have now a good use for it.”
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
It had been my intention to have her meals served apart, but Wolf Larsen put down his foot.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
You'll excoose me refoosin' to talk of perfeshunal subjects afore meals.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
Eating a meal with this amount of fat is OK one or two days a week even considering the effect on inflammation.
(Humans More Unique than Expected When It Comes to Digesting Fatty Meals, U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) Decide to prepare a light meal or snack for himself/herself?
(DAD - Decide to Prepare a Light Meal or Snack for Himself/Herself, NCI Thesaurus)
All meals were provided, with calorie and nutrient content carefully controlled and all consumption monitored.
(Cool temperature alters human fat and metabolism, NIH)
