mealtide

• meal-tide, meal tide

From Middle English meeletide, equivalent to meal +‎ tide (“time, period, hour”). Compare Dutch maaltijd, German Mahlzeit, Icelandic máltíð.

mealtide (plural mealtides)

1. (archaic) The tide or time when one receives his part, portion, or measure of food; the hour for a meal; mealtime.
   • 1903, Ottilia Adelina Liljencrantz, The ward of King Canute:

     Bleeding at heart is he Who has to ask For food at every mealtide.

   • 2002, Alison Hanham, The Celys and Their World‎:

     At Sandwich, ‘mine host Gyllam De La Towr’ was paid 6s 8d ‘for our mealtides from Sunday till Friday’.

   • 2003, Poul Anderson, Mother of Kings:

     She hid her thoughts and led Arinbjorn onward. It was close to mealtide at the hall when she let him go.

• deli meat, lead time