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

Surely every morsel of food she eats is weighed and hyper-optimized to deliver maximum performance, not purchased willy-nilly on the street.

From Outside Online

I call it self-preservation in a world filled with delicious morsels that do not, over the long haul, have my best interests at heart.

From Washington Post

It also allows the jaw to flex wider to accommodate larger morsels, he notes.

From Science News For Students

Then I’ll roast the remainder into crispy cumin-dusted morsels.

From Eater

The strand then yanks the tiny morsel upward to flail in the air.

From Science News For Students

I still would never put another morsel of seagull anywhere near my mouth again.

From The Daily Beast

From time to time the children dashed outside, to go to the bathroom or grab a morsel of food, and then retreated to the bunker.

From The Daily Beast

Any morsel of rationale for why the “supremely safe” Boeing 777 vanished is swallowed like a pill.

From The Daily Beast

Do you think I have charity to bestow, or a morsel of bread to spare?'

From The Daily Beast

A well-written story is a perfect jewel, a perfect morsel, with no room for error.

From The Daily Beast

And I have not had the first morsel of food prepared from this grain offered me since I reached the shores of Europe.

From Project Gutenberg

They competed for it only in order to get a morsel of food, so they would not have to beg it from door to door.

From Project Gutenberg

We snatched a hasty morsel or two, and then hurried on, in order to complete the second half of the road before sunset.

From Project Gutenberg

It is said he never eat a morsel at his own expense, and left about $35,000 to relatives whom he had never seen.

From Project Gutenberg

She holds her knife in her right hand, and in the other a crust of bread with her toothsome morsel on it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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