victual
English
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victual¹
- /ˈvɪtəl/ UK
- [ˈvɪtɫ̩] UK
- /ˈvɪtəl/ US
- [-ɾ(ə)ɫ] US
Rhymes with -ɪtəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English vitaile, vitaylle (“food; food and drink, especially as needed for sustenance; (usually in the plural) food and drink stores or supplies; rations; provision of food and drink as a military stipend; crops”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman vitaile, vitaille [and other forms] and Old French vitaile, vitaille, victaille (“food, provisions, victuals”) [and other forms] (modern French victuaille), from Late Latin vīctuālia, the neuter plural of vīctuālis (“nutritional”), from Latin vīctus (“that which sustains life, diet, nourishment, provision”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns). Vīctus is derived from vīvō (“to live; to be alive, survive; to reside in”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs).
The spelling of the modern English and French words has been influenced by Late Latin vīctuālia, though the pronunciation of the Middle English, Anglo-Norman, and Middle French words has been retained.
noun victuals · victuall · vittle
- Food fit for human (or occasionally animal) consumption. Shift bore (for il aire) as best ye do thinke, / and twise a day giue him fresh vittle and drinke: […]
- Food supplies; provisions. It is good to make prouiſion, for peraduenture wee ſhall lacke victuals and wee lie in campe on Blacke Heath long.
- Edible plants. [C]onſider, what Victuall or Eſculent Things there are, which grow ſpeedily, and within the yeere, As Parſnips, Carrets, Turnips, Onions, Radiſh, Artichokes of Hieruſalem, Maiz, and the like. […] The Victuall in Plantations, ought to be expanded, almoſt as in a Beſieged Towne; That is, with certaine
- Grain of any kind. But if the beast and branks be spar'd / Till kye be gaun without the herd, / An' a' the vittel in the yard, / An' theckit right, / I mean your ingle-side to guard / Ae winter night.
victual²
- /ˈvɪtəl/ UK
- [ˈvɪtɫ̩] UK
- /ˈvɪtəl/ US
- [-ɾ(ə)ɫ] US
Rhymes with -ɪtəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English vitailen (“to provide (someone, a castle, a ship, etc., or oneself) with supplies of food, drink, or other needs; (figuratively) to load (a ship with troops and materiel); to fortify, nourish”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman vitailer, vitailler, and Old French vitailler, victuailler [and other forms], from vitaile, vitaille, victaille (“food, provisions, victuals”) (see further at etymology 1) + -er (a variant of -ier (suffix forming infinitives of first conjugation verbs)).
verb victuals · victualing · victualling · victualed · victualled
- To provide (military troops, a place, a ship, etc., or oneself) with a stock of victuals or food; to provision. [T]hy louing voyage / Is but for two moneths victuall’d: […]
- To lay in or procure food supplies. [Letter from Sir William Drury to Sir William Cecil, 3d April 1568 (Julian calendar).] The Lord Fleming [i.e., John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming], notwithstanding he still victualleth and maketh provision, he hath offered three personages of as great livehood as himself to enter caution and surety unto
- To eat. I have Drank and Victual’d at Sir Humphrey’s for a Months Famine I am to endure here—I am hung round with Bottles and ſtuft full of Proviſion; will you eat a Pullet?
Translations
Every language
noun food fit for human consumption
| Deutsch | Lebensmittel, Nahrungsmittel, Viktualien |
|---|---|
| Русский | съестно́е |
noun food supplies; provisions
| Español | vitualla, vituallas, víveres |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | आहार āhār |
| Português | vitualhas, viadalhas, mantimentos |
| Français | victuaille, victuailles, vivres |
| Deutsch | Proviant, Vorräte, Vorrat |
| Italiano | vettovaglia |
| Русский | провиа́нт proviánt |
verb to provide (military troops, a place, a ship, etc., or oneself) with a stock of victuals or food — see also provision
| Español | vituallar |
|---|---|
| Português | vitualhar |
| Italiano | vettovagliare |
Talk about this word "victual." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/victual. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. victual. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/victual "victual." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/victual.Cite this
@misc{victual_2026,
title = {victual},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/victual},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
