etymology · 700s–1400s
meat
Drift #24 · Jun 5, 2026 · nature
Meaning comparison
Today it means
the flesh of animals used as food
It used to mean (700s–1400s)
any food or solid nourishment
Etymology
'Meat' comes from Old English 'mete' — food in general, any solid nourishment. It was paired with 'drink' as the two halves of all sustenance. The word gradually narrowed to mean only animal flesh, leaving its broader meaning in fossil phrases like 'sweetmeat' (a sweet food) and 'mincemeat' (which originally included many ingredients).
The Drift
How the meaning shifted over time
the drift
In Historical Context
They set before the traveller meat and drink — black bread, a heel of cheese, and a pot of thin pottage — and he ate gratefully and asked no questions.
drift fact
'Sweetmeat' still survives as an old word for candy — it has nothing to do with meat, because 'meat' once meant any food.
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