morsel

From Middle English morsel, from Old French morsel, from Medieval Latin morsellum (“a bit, a little piece”), diminutive of Latin morsum (“a bit”), neuter of morsus, perfect passive participle of mordeo (“I bite”). Compare French morceau, whence the English doublet morceau.

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

  • Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)səl

morsel (plural morsels)

1. A small fragment or share of something, commonly applied to food.
   • 1979, Roald Dahl, The Twits:

     By sticking out his tongue and curling it sideways to explore the hairy jungle around his mouth, he was always able to find a tasty morsel here and there to nibble on.

2. A mouthful of food.
   • 1644, James Howell, England’s Teares, for the Present Wars, […], London: […] Richard Heron, →OCLC, page 4:

     Me thinks I ſee the Turke nodding vvith his Turban, and telling me that I ſhould thanke Heaven for that diſtance vvhich is betvvixt us, els he vvould ſvvallovv me all up at one morſell; […]

3. A very small amount.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:modicum

   • 2008, Pamela Griffin, New York Brides, Barbour Publishing, →ISBN, page 70:

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

• morselization
• morselize
• Adam's morsel

• mordant
• remorse

• “morsel”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “morsel”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “morsel”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “morsel”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

morsel (third-person singular simple present morsels, present participle morseling or morselling, simple past and past participle morseled or morselled)

1. (transitive) To divide into small pieces.

   Synonym: morselize

2. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To feed with small pieces of food.

• Merlos, Morels, morels, smoler

• morcelle, morsell, morselle, morsille, morscel, morssel, mursel
• mosselle, mossel, musel, mussel (with assimilation)

Borrowed from Old French morsel, morsiel, morcel, from Medieval Latin morsellum.

• IPA^(key): /mɔrˈsɛl/, /ˈmɔrsəl/, /murˈsɛl/, /ˈmursəl/
• (with assimilation) IPA^(key): /mɔˈsɛl/, /ˈmɔsəl/, /muˈsɛl/, /ˈmusəl/

morsel (plural morsels)

1. A small piece or fragment of something; a morsel.
   1. (especially) A piece of food; a bite or mouthful.
   2. (figuratively) Something delicate predated upon or enjoyed.
2. A snack; a small meal.

• English: morsel (dialectal mossel, mossle)
• Middle Scots: morcell, morsall
  • Scots: morsel
• Yola: mossaale

• “morsel, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

• morcel

From Medieval Latin morsellum (“a bit, a little piece”), diminutive of Latin morsum (“a bit”), neuter of morsus, past participle of mordeō, mordēre (“bite, nibble, gnaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to rub, wipe; to pack, rob”).

• IPA^(key): /muɾˈsɛl/

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

• Middle French: morceau
  • French: morceau
    • → English: morceau
• Norman: morcé (Jersey, Guernsey)
• → Hungarian: morzsa
• → Middle English: morsel, morcelle, morsell, morselle, morsille, morscel, morssel, mursel, mosselle, mossel, musel, mussel (with assimilation)
  • English: morsel (dialectal mossel, mossle)
  • Middle Scots: morcell, morsall
    • Scots: morsel
  • Yola: mossaale