piecemeal
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
piecemeal
- /ˈpiːs.miːl/ UK, US
Where it comes from
From Middle English pecemele, from pece (“piece”) + mele (from Old English mǣlum (“at a time”), dative plural form of mǣl (“time, measure”), taking the place of Old English styċċemǣlum (“in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually”); equivalent to piece + -meal.
adjective
- Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time. Near-synonyms: piecewise, stepwise; see also Thesaurus:gradual
adverb
- Piece by piece; in small amounts, stages, or degrees. It’s as bad as selling a man a horse with half a dozen latent vices and watching him discover them piecemeal in the course of the hunting season.
- Into pieces or parts. Stoop villaine, ſtoop, ſtoope for ſo he bids, That may commaund thee peecemeale to be torne, Or ſcattered like the lofty Cedar trees. Strooke with the voice of thundring Iupiter.
Similar: bit by bit
verb piecemeals · piecemealing · piecemealed
- To divide or distribute piecemeal; dismember.
noun piecemeals
- A fragment; a scrap. Thus the world Is all to piecemeals cut
