/ miːt; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U , C ] the flesh of an animal or a bird eaten as food; a particular type of this :
a piece / slice of meat
horse meat (= from a horse)
dog meat (= for a dog)
meat-eating animals
There's not much meat on this chop.
( figurative , humorous )
There's not much meat on her (= she is very thin).
—see also luncheon meat , mincemeat , red meat , sausage meat , white meat
2.
[ U ] meat (of sth) the important or interesting part of sth
SYN substance :
This chapter contains the real meat of the writer's argument.
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IDIOMS
- meat and drink to sb
—more at dead , man noun
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English mete food or article of food (as in sweetmeat ), of Germanic origin.