Definitions

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

  • noun Meal that is made from oats; rolled or ground oats.
  • noun A porridge that is made from rolled or ground oats.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Meal made from oats. The grain, with the husk removed, is kiln-dried and ground.
  • noun A mush or porridge prepared from oatmeal.
  • noun [capitalized] One of a band of riotous profligates who infested the streets of London in the seventeenth century.

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

  • noun Meal made of oats.
  • noun (Bot.) A plant of the genus Panicum; panic grass.

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

  • noun Meal made from rolled or round oats
  • noun A breakfast cereal made from rolled oats, cooked in milk and/or water. (porridge in UK)
  • noun a light greyish brown colour, like that of oatmeal.
  • adjective Of a light greyish brown colour, like that of oatmeal

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

  • noun porridge made of rolled oats
  • noun meal made from rolled or ground oats

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English otemele, from ote ("oat") + mele ("meal")

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Examples

  • The term oatmeal usually refers to rolled oats, made with the whole oat groat (the hulled grain) or with what's called steel-cut oats (the inner portion of the oat, cut into pieces).

    JSOnline.com 2009

  • This oatmeal is so nutritious and looks so delicious.

    Oatmeal Cranberry Flaxseed Cookies | Baking Bites 2009

  • Another note, this one handed to him by Lama Katie after the morning cleanup in the temple and the incantatory scraping of the baked-on oatmeal from the depths of the communal cook pot.

    The Silence 2010

  • Lunch is a sandwich made with the last of the local basil and Cherokee purple tomatoes, grilled on whole-grain oatmeal bread with four cheeses and just a tiny smear of brown mustard.

    In the grandest tradition of Clerks, he wasn't even supposed to be at work that day. matociquala 2009

  • Leftover oatmeal is becoming blueberry oatcakes as we speak, though, never fear, and I am unlikely to waste away.

    nothing but net thatpotteryguy 2009

  • Another note, this one handed to him by Lama Katie after the morning cleanup in the temple and the incantatory scraping of the baked-on oatmeal from the depths of the communal cook pot.

    The Silence 2010

  • Another note, this one handed to him by Lama Katie after the morning cleanup in the temple and the incantatory scraping of the baked-on oatmeal from the depths of the communal cook pot.

    The Silence 2010

  • Once the flour has been incorporated, stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips.

    Car-Baked Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | Baking Bites 2009

  • Our breakfast this morning was, once again, 83 cents worth of bulk-bin oatmeal with milk (lucky that we all like oatmeal, and have been in a daily rut of eating it for months) and 19 cent bananas.

    Hunger Challenge: Eggs, coffee, fish sauce 2009

  • Would have never thought to put coffee in oatmeal cookies … these look tender and chewy, like the perfect oatmeal cookie should be! dani Jul 26 these have made it to the top of my “to-bake” list

    Coffee Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | Baking Bites 2009

Comments

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  • Captured at Yorktown, "58 casks oatmeal, (weight) 11,900 lb."

    October 29, 2007

  • A series of gagging, horking and snorting noises are not necessary when I announce that I am making oatmeal for myself for breakfast and ask if anyone else would like some. A simple 'no thanks' will suffice.

    *takes bowl of oatmeal & paper to porch*

    *plots another marmite surprise*

    August 23, 2009

  • I know! Order 58 casks of it, weighing 11,900 lb. Line the house with them.

    August 24, 2009

  • That's a start...

    August 24, 2009

  • February 24, 2011

  • Woah! For a fleeting second that dried fruit looked like gummy bears.

    February 26, 2011

  • Maybe they're gummy bears who have stayed too long in the sun.

    March 1, 2011