Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Food fit for human consumption.
  • noun Food supplies; provisions.
  • intransitive verb To provide with food.
  • intransitive verb To lay in food supplies.
  • intransitive verb To eat.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To supply or store with victuals or provisions for subsistence; provide with stores of food.
  • To feed; obtain stores or provisions; provision; obtain or eat victuals.
  • noun Provision of food; meat; provisions: generally used in the plural, and signifying (commonly) food for human beings, prepared for eating.
  • noun Any sort of grain or corn. [Scotch.]

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Food; -- now used chiefly in the plural. See victuals.
  • noun Scot. Grain of any kind.
  • transitive verb To supply with provisions for subsistence; to provide with food; to store with sustenance.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Food fit for human consumption.
  • verb transitive To provide with food; to provision.
  • verb intransitive To lay in food supplies.
  • verb intransitive To eat.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb take in nourishment
  • verb lay in provisions
  • noun any substance that can be used as food
  • verb supply with food

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration (influenced by Late Latin vīctuālia, provisions) of Middle English vitaille, from Old French, from Late Latin vīctuālia, provisions, from neuter pl. of Latin vīctuālis, of nourishment, from vīctus, nourishment, from past participle of vīvere, to live; see gwei- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English vitaille, from Late Latin victualia ("provisions"), from victus ("nourishment"), from vīvō ("live, survive").

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Examples

  • Now we had picked up on the beach some small matter of victual from the wreck and husbanded it carefully, eating but once every day or two, in our fear lest it should fail us and we die miserably of famine or affright.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • The washing runs away with all the difference in wages, and their consumption of victual is much the same.

    Letters and Memorials of Jane Welsh Carlyle 1883

  • We all had a good time and there were plenty of burgers, hot dogs and every kind of victual for everyone.

    GAMING NEWS: "The Next War" Session Two! (3 July 2005) MaksimSmelchak 2005

  • We all had a good time and there were plenty of burgers, hot dogs and every kind of victual for everyone.

    Archive 2005-07-01 MaksimSmelchak 2005

  • In a country of plantation, first look about what kind of victual the country yields of itself to hand; as chestnuts, walnuts, pineapples, olives, dates, plums, cherries, wild honey, and the like; and make use of them.

    XXXIII. Of Plantations 1909

  • After we had fed, we drew ourselves back to our boats upon the river, and there came to us all the lords of the country, with all such kind of victual as the place yielded, and with their delicate wine of pinas, and with abundance of hens and other provisions, and of those stones which we call spleen-stones.

    The Discovery of Guiana. Paras. 50-102 1909

  • As Mr. Delancey had never shown any interest in the matter of their board, they still continued to "victual," as Wilkins called it, at the restaurant, and sleep at the store.

    The Brother Clerks A Tale of New-Orleans Mary Ashley Townsend 1866

  • After we had fed, we drew ourselves back to our boats upon the river, and there came to us all the lords of the country, with all such kind of victual as the place yielded, and with their delicate wine of pinas, and with abundance of hens and other provisions, and of those stones which we call spleen-stones.

    The Discovery of Guiana Walter Raleigh 1586

  • So much he told the seekers in few words; and then while they grovelled on the earth and wept for pure joy, whereas the sun was down and it was beginning to grow dusk, he went and looked around soberly to see if he might find water and any kind of victual; and presently a little down the hillside he came upon a place where a spring came gushing up out of the earth and ran down toward the plain; and about it was green grass growing plentifully, and a little thicket of bramble and wilding fruit-trees.

    The Story of the Glittering Plain; or, the land of Living Men William Morris 1865

  • Beekeeper, you are preaching victual and squirrel gospel there!

    What Happened to Squirrel Hunting? 2009

Comments

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  • None of these visuals are actually victuals.

    July 27, 2011