mealtide

See also: meal-tide

English

Alternative forms

• meal-tide, meal tide

Etymology

From Middle English meeletide, equivalent to meal +‎ -tide (“time, period, hour”). Compare Dutch maaltijd, German Mahlzeit, Icelandic máltíð.

Noun

mealtide (countable and uncountable, plural mealtides)

1. (archaic) The tide or time when one receives his part, portion, or measure of food; the hour for a meal; mealtime.
   • 1903, Ottilia Adelina Liljencrantz, The ward of King Canute:

     Bleeding at heart is he Who has to ask For food at every mealtide.

   • 2002, Alison Hanham, The Celys and Their World‎:

     At Sandwich, ‘mine host Gyllam De La Towr’ was paid 6s 8d ‘for our mealtides from Sunday till Friday’.

   • 2003, Poul Anderson, Mother of Kings:

     She hid her thoughts and led Arinbjorn onward. It was close to mealtide at the hall when she let him go.

Anagrams

• deli meat, lead time