the world > food and drink > food > meal > [adverb] > at meals (4)
at (the) meateOE
A meal, a feast. Sometimes: spec. the principal meal of a day, dinner. Also in various prepositional phrases (mostly somewhat archaic). at (†the) meat…
at mealc1400
at meal: at table, at mealtimes; dining. Now rare.
at tablec1400
at table: at the dining table; at a meal.
at meat and meal1599
A meal, a feast. Sometimes: spec. the principal meal of a day, dinner. Also in various prepositional phrases (mostly somewhat archaic). at (†the) meat…