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Meal vs Four - What's the difference?

meal | four |

As nouns the difference between meal and four

is that meal is (senseid)food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time (eg breakfast = morning meal, lunch = noon meal, etc) or meal can be the coarse-ground edible part of various grains often used to feed animals; flour or meal can be a speck or spot while four is (countable) the digit or figure 4; an occurrence thereof.

As a verb meal

is to defile or taint.

As a numeral four is

(cardinal) a numerical value equal to ; the number after three and before five; two plus two this many dots (••••).

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 ----

    four

    English

    (wikipedia four)

    Numeral

    (head)
  • (cardinal) A numerical value equal to ; the number after three and before five; two plus two. This many dots (••••)
  • There are four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn.
  • *
  • Venters began to count them—one—two—three—four —on up to sixteen.
  • Describing a set or group with four components.
  • Derived terms

    * on all fours * back four * four-bagger * four-ball * four-by-four/ * four-color/four-colour * four-dimensional * four-eyes * four-flush * fourfold * fourfooted/four-footed * four-handed * four horsemen * four hundred * four-in-hand * four-leaf clover * four-letter word * fourling * four-o'clock * four of a kind * four-on-the-floor * fourpence * fourpenny * fourplex * four-post bed * four-poster * four-pounder * fourscore * foursquare * four square * foursome * four-star * four-wheel drive * four-wheeler * two-by-four

    Descendants

    See also

    *

    See also

    * Last: three, 3 * Next: five, 5

    Noun

  • (countable) The digit or figure 4; an occurrence thereof.
  • (countable) Anything measuring four units, as length.
  • Do you have any more fours ? I want to make this a little taller.
  • A person who is four years old.
  • I'll take the threes, fours and fives and go to the playground.
  • (cricket, countable) An event whereby a batsman hits a ball which bounces on the ground before passing over a boundary in the air, resulting in an award of 4 runs for the batting team. If the ball does not bounce before passing over the boundary, a six is awarded instead.
  • (rowing) Quadruple sculls.
  • (obsolete) A four-pennyworth of spirits.
  • * 1887 , Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet , IV:
  • I was a-strollin' down, thinkin' between ourselves how uncommon handy a four of gin hot would be, when suddenly the glint of a light caught my eye in the window of that same house.

    See also

    (four) * (Symbols of number four in various numeral systems) * (Arabic numerals): 4 * (Chinese numerals): ?, ? * (Greek numerals): (uppercase) ??, (lowercase) ?? * (Roman numerals): IV or IIII

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----