morsel

[ mawr-suhl ]

noun

1. a bite, mouthful, or small portion of food, candy, etc.
2. a small piece, quantity, or amount of anything; scrap; bit.
3. something very appetizing; treat or tidbit.
4. a person or thing that is attractive or delightful.

verb (used with object)

1. to distribute in or divide into tiny portions (often followed by out ):

   to morsel out the last pieces of meat.

morsel

/ ˈmɔːsəl /

noun

1. a small slice or mouthful of food
2. a small piece; bit
3. informal.
   a term of endearment for a child

Word History and Origins

Origin of morsel¹

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French, equivalent to mors a bite (< Latin morsum something bitten off, noun use of neuter of morsus, past participle of mordēre to bite) + -el < Latin -ellus diminutive suffix; -elle

Word History and Origins

Origin of morsel¹

C13: from Old French, from mors a bite, from Latin morsus, from mordēre to bite

Example Sentences

I’m a first-class eavesdropper, and that’s when my chances to overhear juicy morsels are best.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, she marched to the grocery aisle and had a lightbulb moment when she spied a bag of semisweet chocolate morsels.

From Salon

Anchored by its leads, “Coup!” is a tasty morsel of social commentary about problems that continue to plague our world.

From Los Angeles Times

The story emerges in morsels of naturalistic dialogue and brief, on-point scenes that incrementally sketch in the characters’ intimacy, shared history, familial relationships and distinct temperaments.

From New York Times

Obviously, he was trying to make me behave like an animal, inching closer to some morsel of food in his hand.

From Literature

Related Words

• chunk
• crumb
• hunk
• mouthful
• snack
• tidbit