meat

[meet]

noun

1. the flesh of animals as used for food: in particular, mammals, especially livestock and game, and often including poultry and game birds.

2. the edible part of anything, as a fruit or nut.

   Crack the walnuts and remove the meats.

3. the essential point or part of an argument, literary work, etc.; gist; crux.

   The meat of the play is the jealousy between the two brothers.

4. solid food.

   meat and drink.

5. solid or substantial content; pith.

   The article was full of meat, with few wasted words.

6. a favorite occupation, activity, etc..

   Chess is his meat.

7. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.,  pork, especially bacon.

8. Slang: Vulgar.,  penis.

9. Archaic.,  the principal meal.

   to say grace before meat.

meat

/ miːt /

noun

1. the flesh of mammals used as food, as distinguished from that of birds and fish

2. anything edible, esp flesh with the texture of meat

   crab meat

3. food, as opposed to drink

4. the essence or gist

5. an archaic word for meal 1

6. a source of pleasure

7. informal,  to lose nothing because one's offer is not accepted

Other Word Forms

• meatless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meat¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English mete, met, methe “food, nourishment, sustenance,” Old English mete, mett, “food,” cognate with Old High German maz, Old Norse matr, Gothic mats

Word History and Origins

Origin of meat¹

Old English mete; related to Old High German maz food, Old Saxon meti, Gothic mats

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. piece of meat,

   1. a person regarded merely as a sex object.

      Years after winning a beauty pageant, she denounced the competition, saying she’d been crowned the judges’ favorite piece of meat.

   2. a person, as a prizefighter or laborer, regarded merely as a strong or useful physical specimen.

      The trainer never apologized for referring to his boxers as pieces of meat—if you made it to the top, he’d start calling you “Kid.”

More idioms and phrases containing meat

• beat the meat
• one's man's meat is another man's poison

Example Sentences

She tipped the meat around the pan until it caught just enough color, then turned to the camera with a conspiratorial grin.

From Salon

I don’t go for a $75 hunk of meat more than once a year — but that’s not really why I go.

From Salon

The shop stocks fresh vegetables, fruit and meat, along with some toys and clothing.

From BBC

Headlines on its front page include: "Cooked meats bring out Soviet voters in droves" - alongside a photo of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev - and "US rejects Iraqi warplanes plea as rebels close in".

From BBC

Until the 1980s people roamed the mountains of Shennongjia in central China hunting monkeys for their meat and fur.

From BBC

Related Words

• food 
• foodstuff