gruel
pronunciation
How to pronounce gruel in British English:
UK [ˈgru:əl]
How to pronounce gruel in American English:
US [ˈɡruəl]
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- Noun:
- a thin porridge (usually oatmeal or cornmeal)
Word Origin
- gruel (n.)
- late 12c., "meal or flour made of beans, lentils, etc.," from Old French gruel "fine meal" (Modern French gruau), a diminutive form from Frankish *grut or another Germanic source, cognate with Middle Dutch grute "coarse meal, malt;" Middle High German gruz "grain," from PIE *ghreu- "to rub, grind" (see grit (n.)). Meaning "thin porridge or soup" is late 14c.
Example
- 1. Life in the modern west is thin gruel for writers .
- 2. It can recap mission-critical accomplishments , thank pivotal colleagues , and even drop in a little zinger about the thin gruel served at staff meetings .
- 3. Mrs. march gave the mother tea and gruel , and comforted her with promisesof help , while she dressed the little baby as tenderly as if it hadbeen her own .
- 4. Other scenes depict corn products that were essential to the maya diet : a woman distributes a platter of tamales to a crowd in one panel , while a man and woman in another scene serve maize gruel .
- 5. The captives said they were given rice or gruel to eat , usually once a day .