English
meat
Etymology

From Middle English mete, from Old English mete, from Proto-West Germanic *mati, from Proto-Germanic *matiz, from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d-.

A -ja- derivation from the same base is found in Middle Dutch - and Middle Low German met, from which Dutch met and German Mett derive, respectively.

Pronunciation Noun

meat

  1. (uncountable) The flesh (muscle tissue) of an animal used as food. [from 14th c.]
    A large portion of domestic meat production comes from animals raised on factory farms.
    The homesteading teenager shot a deer to supply his family with wild meat for the winter.
  2. (countable) A type of meat, by anatomic position and provenance. [from 16th c.]
    The butchery's profit rate on various meats varies greatly.
  3. (now, archaic, dialectal) Food, for animals or humans, especially solid food. See also meat and drink. [from 8th c.]
    • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC ↗, Matthew:
      I was anhongred, and ye gave me meate. I thursted, and ye gave me drinke.
    • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 8, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC ↗, page 232 ↗:
      And he was pleased to accompany them in their death; for, he pined away by abstaining from all manner of meat.
    • c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      Your greatest want is, you want much of meat: / Why should you want? Behold, the Earth hath Rootes […].
    • 1879, Silas Hocking, Her Benny:
      As full of fun and frolic as an egg is full of meat.
    • 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber, published 2007, page 13:
      The way she said ‘dinner’ and the way she said ‘champagne’ gave meat and liquid their exact difference […].
  4. (now, rare) A type of food, a dish. [from 9th c.]
  5. (archaic) A meal. [from 9th c.]
    • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC ↗, Matthew viij:
      And hit cam to passe, thatt Jesus satt at meate in his housse.
  6. (obsolete) Meal; flour.
  7. (uncountable) Any relatively thick, solid part of a fruit, nut etc. [from 15th c.]
    The apple looked fine on the outside, but the meat was not very firm.
    • 1954, Cothburn O'Neal, The Dark Lady, page 12:
      She took her spoon and stirred the melted butter into the yellow meat of the yam.
  8. (slang, vulgar) A penis. [from 16th c.]
  9. (colloquial) The best or most substantial part of something. [from 16th c.]
    We recruited him right from the meat of our competitor.
    • 1577, Gerald Eades Bentley, The Arte of Angling:
      […] it is time to begin "A Dialogue between Viator and Piscator," which is the meat of the matter.
  10. (sports) The sweet spot of a bat or club (in cricket, golf, baseball etc.). [from 20th c.]
    He hit it right on the meat of the bat.
  11. (slang) A meathead.
    Throw it in here, meat.
  12. (Australian Aboriginal) A totem, or (by metonymy) a clan or clansman which uses it.
    • 1949, Vol.XX, Oceania:
      When a stranger comes to an aboriginal camp or settlement in north-western NSW, he is asked by one of the older aborigines: "What meat (clan) are you?"
    • 1973, M. Fennel, A. Grey, Nucoorilma:
      Granny Sullivan was ‘dead against’ the match at first because they did not know "what my meat was and because I was a bit on the fair side."
    • 1993, J. Janson, Gunjies
      That’s a beautiful goanna. […]. He’s my meat, can’t eat him.
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