meat

Where does the word "meat" come from? It comes from Old English mete, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Meat’s story begins in Old English: mete meant “food.” Any food, as opposed to drink; the phrase 'meat and drink' preserves the old sense. It reached English by 1300s as meat. Narrowed to animal flesh, while 'sweetmeat' and the 'meat offerings' (of grain) in the 1611 King James Bible keep the older meaning. Today, meat means the flesh of an animal eaten as food.

1. Stage 1 · Old English · medieval mete "food", any food, as opposed to drink; the phrase 'meat and drink' preserves the old sense.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s meat "animal flesh as food", narrowed to animal flesh, while 'sweetmeat' and the 'meat offerings' (of grain) in the 1611 King James Bible keep the older meaning.