meat

meat
meat (n.) O.E. mete "food, item of food" (paired with drink), from P.Gmc. *mati (Cf. O.Fris. mete, O.S. meti, O.N. matr, O.H.G. maz, Goth. mats "food," M.Du., Du. metworst, Ger. Mettwurst "type of sausage"), from PIE *mad-i-, from root *mad- "moist, wet," also with reference to food qualities, (Cf. Skt. medas- "fat" (n.), O.Ir. mat "pig;" see MAST (Cf. mast) (n.2)).
Narrower sense of "flesh used as food" is first attested c.1300; similar sense evolution in Fr. viande "meat," originally "food." Figurative sense of "essential part" is from 1901. Dark meat, white meat popularized 19c., supposedly as euphemisms for leg and breast, but earliest sources use both terms without apparent embarrassment.
The choicest parts of a turkey are the side bones, the breast, and the thigh bones. The breast and wings are called light meat; the thigh-bones and side-bones dark meat. When a person declines expressing a preference, it is polite to help to both kinds. [Lydia Maria Child, "The American Frugal Housewife," Boston, 1835]
First record of meat loaf is from 1876. Meat market "place where one looks for sex partners" is from 1896 (meat in various sexual senses of "penis, vagina, body regarded as a sex object, prostitute" are attested from 1590s); meat wagon "ambulance" is from 1920, American English slang, said to date from World War I (in a literal sense by 1857). Meat-grinder in the figurative sense attested by 1951. Meat-hook in colloquial transferred sense "arm" attested by 1919.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • méat — méat …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • MEAT — (Heb. בָּשָׂר, basar), the flesh of animals permitted for consumption. (For its meaning as human flesh and symbolic connotation, see flesh .) The Talmud points out (Sanh. 59b) that according to the biblical account the consumption of meat was… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • méat — [ mea ] n. m. • 1575; méate « passage, conduit » dès 1500; a. provenç. meat (XIVe); lat. meatus 1 ♦ Anat. Orifice d un canal. Méat urinaire : orifice externe de l urètre. Méats inférieur, moyen, supérieur, du nez : cavités des fosses nasales… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • meat — W3S2 [mi:t] n [: Old English; Origin: mete food ] 1.) [U and C] the flesh of animals and birds eaten as food ▪ I gave up eating meat a few months ago. ▪ raw meat ▪ a meat pie ▪ a selection of cold meats red meat (=a …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Meat — (m[=e]t), n. [OE. mete, AS. mete; akin to OS. mat, meti, D. met hashed meat, G. mettwurst sausage, OHG. maz food, Icel. matr, Sw. mat, Dan. mad, Goth. mats. Cf. {Mast} fruit, {Mush}.] 1. Food, in general; anything eaten for nourishment, either by …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • meat — [ mit ] noun *** 1. ) uncount the flesh of an animal or bird eaten as food a ) count a particular type of meat: You can choose from a selection of meats. 2. ) uncount INFORMAL interesting or important parts of something such as a book, movie, or… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • meat — MEÁT, meaturi, s.n. 1. (anat.) Canal îngust şi subţire sau orificiul acestuia, aflate în diferite organe. 2. Spaţiu, interstiţiu între celulele unui ţesut vegetal. [pr.: me at] – Din fr. méat, lat. meatus. Trimis de RACAI, 30.09.2003. Sursa: DEX… …   Dicționar Român

  • meat´i|ly — meat|y «MEE tee», adjective, meat|i|er, meat|i|est. 1. of meat; having the flavor of meat: »some choice meaty bits. 2. like meat: »a meaty texture …   Useful english dictionary

  • meat|y — «MEE tee», adjective, meat|i|er, meat|i|est. 1. of meat; having the flavor of meat: »some choice meaty bits. 2. like meat: »a meaty texture …   Useful english dictionary

  • Meat — Personaje de Mortal Kombat Creador(es) John Tobias y Ed Boon Información Sexo Masculino …   Wikipedia Español

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