Plural of meal; regular occasions for eating food, typically breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also refers to the food consumed during these occasions.
From Old English 'mǣl' meaning 'appointed time, time for eating,' related to Old Norse 'mál' (measure, time). Originally meant any appointed time or measure, with the specific eating sense developing in Middle English. The word connects to our modern 'meal' and Germanic concepts of measured time.
The structure of three daily meals is actually a relatively modern invention - medieval people often ate just two meals per day, and the concept of 'breakfast' as a necessary meal wasn't widely accepted until the Industrial Revolution required synchronized work schedules.
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