morsel

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English morsel, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French morsel, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  morsellum (“a bit, a little piece”), diminutive. of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin morsum (“a bit”), neuter of morsus, past participle of mordere (“to bite”). Compare French morceau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔːsəl/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔɹsəl/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)səl

Noun

morsel (plural morsels)

1. A small fragment or share of something, commonly applied to food.
2. A mouthful of food.
3. A very small amount.
   • 2008, Pamela Griffin, New York Brides, Barbour Publishing Inc. (2008), →ISBN, page 70:

     Didn't even a morsel of decency remain in his brother?

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:modicum.

Derived terms

• morselize, morselization

Translations

small fragment

• Arabic: قَطْمَة f (qaṭma)
• Armenian: կտոր (hy) (ktor)
• Danish: bid (da) c, godbid c, stump
• Dutch: brok (nl), hap (nl), stuk (nl)
• Finnish: murunen (fi), muru (fi), pala (fi)
• French: morceau (fr) m
• German: Happen (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: ψωμίον n (psōmíon)

• Italian: boccone (it) m
• Latin: frustum n, mīca (la) f
• Macedonian: трошка (tróška) f, ронка (rónka) f, парченце (párčence) n, залак (zálak) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Malay: cebis
• Maori: motū (refers only to food), whakapūwharu, horotai (of food)
• Persian: لقمه (fa) (loqme)
• Portuguese: porção (pt) f, gota (pt) f, mordida (pt) f
• Russian: кусо́к (ru) m (kusók), по́рция (ru) f (pórcija)
• Spanish: pizca (es) f, porción (es) f, gota (es) f
• Swedish: smula (sv) m
• Turkish: dilim (tr)
• Volapük: beitil (vo)
• Yola: morsaale

Further reading

• “morsel”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “morsel”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “morsel”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “morsel”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Merlos, Morels, morels

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Old French

Alternative forms

• morcel

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  morsellum (“a bit, a little piece”), diminutive of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin morsum (“a bit”), neuter of morsus, past participle of mordeō, mordēre (“bite, nibble, gnaw”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *merə- (“to rub, wipe; to pack, rob”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔr.ˈsɛl/

Noun

morsel oblique singular, m (oblique plural morseaus or morseax or morsiaus or morsiax or morsels, nominative singular morseaus or morseax or morsiaus or morsiax or morsels, nominative plural morsel)

1. morsel; bit; piece

Descendants

• English: morsel
• French: morceau
• Norman: morcé (Jersey, Guernsey)