gruel

[ groo-uhl ]

noun

1. a light, usually thin, cooked cereal made by boiling meal, especially oatmeal, in water or milk.

gruel

/ ˈɡruːəl /

noun

1. a drink or thin porridge, made by boiling meal, esp oatmeal, in water or milk

Word History and Origins

Origin of gruel¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French, Old French, perhaps via an intermediary such as Medieval Latin grūtellum (unrecorded), from grūtum “flour, meal” (from a Germanic source akin to German Grütze “ground cereal grains”; grits, grout ) + -ellum, diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of gruel¹

C14: from Old French, of Germanic origin; see grout

Example Sentences

“You know, kids in other countries have no choice. They have to eat gruel for every meal.”

From Los Angeles Times

There’s a few different threads of criticism, some thinner gruel than others.

From Slate

Whatever the liberals were able, or not, to eke out of the conservative justices, it appears to have been thin gruel indeed.

From Slate

During the long voyage, the meal offered to captives was usually little more than a worm-ridden gruel—a thin, watery boiled cereal—or a concoction called “dab-a-dab,” a mash of beans, rice, and corn.

From Literature

His only diversion was to make pictures using the hard bits of grain collected from the meager gruel his jailers gave him.

From New York Times