> as lemmas

c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) 6845 (MED) A meles mete ȝif þou me.

c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xvi. 36 Crauede..A meles mete for a poure man.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 331 Meel of mete.., commestio.

a1500 (a1400) Sir Cleges (Adv.) (1930) 353 (MED) For my labor schall i nott get But yt be a melys mete.

1511 in T. Stapleton Plumpton Corr. (1839) p. cxviii Sir Robert Plomton..paid for every maile of meate..iiij^d for himselfe, & ii^d for his servant.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 454/2 In this sence I fynde also je inuite but properly to a meales meate, or to eate.

a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Honest Mans Fortune ii. iii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Vuuuu/2 You never yet had a meales meat from my Table.

1693 J. Dryden in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires xiv. 292 King Saturn..gave this Example by making a Meals-meat of his own Children.

1717 Entertainer No. 6. 36 The Parasite may smell a Feast at C—t, and go flatter Some-body there for a Meals-meat.

1780 S. Lee Chapter of Accidents iv. 75 I do verily think my turn wull cuome next;—cant zleep n my bed for thinking on't, nor enjoy a meal's meat.

1828 C. Lamb Barbara S—— in Elia 2nd Ser. 130 Enough to say, that her Saturday's pittance was the only chance of a Sunday's, (generally their only,) meal of meat.

1880 Yorkshireman 74 They wor as gooid as a meal's meyt tul him.

1900 A. McIlroy By Lone Craig-linnie Burn 30 A' hae niver known what it was tae be ailin, or miss a male's meat.

1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes & Knowes 10 If there was a mael o meat ti be bocht.

1953 M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 182/1 Meal's-meat, a meal; enough for a meal.