Meal

Meal - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

MEAL, n.

1. A portion of food taken at one time; a repast. It is customary in the U. States to eat three meals in a day. The principal meal of our ancestors was dinner, at noon.

2. A part; a fragment; in the word piece-meal.

MEAL, n. [L. mola, mollis; Eng.mellow.]

1. The substance of edible grain ground to fine particles, and not bolted or sifted. Meal primarily includes the bran as well as the flour. Since bolting has been generally practiced, the word meal is not generally applied to the finer part, or flour, at least in the United States, though I believe it is sometimes so used. In New England, meal is now usually applied to ground maiz, whether bolted or unbolted, called Indian meal, or corn-meal. The words wheat-meal,and rye-meal are rarely used,though not wholly extinct; and meal occurs also in oatmeal.

2. Flour; the finer part of pulverized grain.

[This sense is now uncommon.]

MEAL, v.t. To sprinkle with meal, or to mix meal with. [Little used.]