From Old English 'mǣl' (fixed time), from PIE *meh₁- (to measure) — originally the appointed hour for eating, then the food eaten.
An occasion when food is eaten; the food eaten on such an occasion.
From Old English 'mǣl' meaning 'fixed time, occasion, meal,' from Proto-Germanic *mēlą (measure, time, meal), from PIE *meh₁- (to measure). A meal was originally a measured time — the appointed hour for eating. Key roots: *meh₁- (PIE: "to measure").