What is the difference between meal and flour?

As nouns the difference between meal and flour

is that meal is (food that is prepared and eaten)Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time (e.g. breakfast = morning meal, lunch = noon meal, etc) while flour is powder obtained by grinding or milling cereal grains, especially wheat, and used to bake bread, cakes, and pastry.

As verbs the difference between meal and flour

is that meal is to defile or taint while flour is to apply flour to something; to cover with flour.

meal

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)

(senseid)Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time (e.g. breakfast = morning meal, lunch = noon meal, etc).

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=(Henry Petroski)

, title= Geothermal Energy , volume=101, issue=4, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. 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 turn grist into meal.}}

Food served or eaten as a repast.

* {{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April, author=Anna Lena Phillips, volume=100, issue=2, page=172

, magazine=(American Scientist) , title= Sneaky Silk Moths , passage=Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.}}

Hyponyms

* See also

Derived terms

* make a meal of * meal mob * meal station * meal ticket

Etymology 2

From (etyl) mele, from (etyl) . More at (l).

Noun

(-)

The coarse-ground edible part of various grains often used to feed animals; flour.

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=(Henry Petroski)

, title= Geothermal Energy , volume=101, issue=4, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=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 turn grist into meal .}}

Derived terms

* mealy * cornmeal * oatmeal

Etymology 3

Variation of mole (compare (etyl) mail), from (etyl) mole, mool, from (etyl) . More at (l).

Noun

(en noun)

A speck or spot.

A part; a fragment; a portion.

Verb

(en verb)

To defile or taint.

Were he meal'd with that / Which he corrects, than were he tyrannous. ? Shakespeare.

Anagrams

* 1000 English basic words ----

flour

English

Alternative forms

* flower (obsolete)

Noun

(wikipedia flour) (en-noun)

Powder obtained by grinding or milling cereal grains, especially wheat, and used to bake bread, cakes, and pastry.

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)

, title=(The China Governess) , chapter=Foreword citation , passage=Everything a living animal could do to destroy and to desecrate bed and walls had been done. […] A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.}}

and certain bleaching agents.

Powder of other material.

wood flour , produced by sanding wood

mustard flour

that nobody is wished to see my dead body. & that no murnurs walk behind me at my funeral. & that no flours be planted on my grave.'' — Thomas Hardy, ''The Mayor of Casterbridge .

Synonyms

* smeddum, plain flour, wheat flour, white flour

Derived terms

* self-raising flour, self-rising flour

Verb

(en verb)

To apply flour to something; to cover with flour.

Anagrams

* * 1000 English basic words ----