English · Word Candidate

meal

/ˈmiːl/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: meals · mealing · mealed

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Thức ăn được chuẩn bị và ăn, thường vào một thời điểm cụ thể

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

Breakfast is the morning meal, lunch is the noon meal, and dinner, or supper, is the evening meal.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Food served or eaten as a repast.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Thức ăn được phục vụ hoặc ăn như bữa ăn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

a1450, The Macro Playsː If thou wilt fare well at meat and meal, come and follow me.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Phần có thể ăn được của các loại ngũ cốc được nghiền nhỏ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Vật liệu dạng hạt được chuẩn bị từ nguồn khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “meal” mean?

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

Is “meal” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.