NYT Dictionary

MEAL

/ˈmiːl/
NounVerbMEALmeal · 1 syllableGrade 3

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Meaning

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

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English mel, from Old English mǣl (“measure, time, occasion, set time, time for eating, meal”), from Proto-West Germanic *māl, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą, from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- (“to measure”). Cognate with West Frisian miel, Dutch maal (“meal, time, occurrence”), German Mal (“time”), Mahl (“meal”), Norwegian Bokmål mål (“meal”), Swedish mål (“meal”); and (from Proto-Indo-European) with Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure”), Latin mensus, Russian ме́ра (méra, “measure”), Lithuanian mẽtas. Related to Old English mǣþ (“measure, degree, proportion”).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

mealmeserefectionrepastbarleyboardbranchopconsultcorn

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 11 recorded puzzles:

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