See piecemeal in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for piecemeal meaning in English (21.2kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "piecemeal (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"derived": [
{
"word": "piecemeal approach"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal fashion"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal basis"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal way"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal change"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal reform"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal measure"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1947, George Marshall, The Marshall Plan Speech",
"text": "Such assistance, I am convinced, must not be on a piecemeal basis, as various crises develop.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1953, James Strachey, translation of Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, Avon Books, pg. 224",
"text": "But the copious and intertwined associative links warrant our accepting the former alternative: cyclamen—favourite flower—favourite food— artichokes; pulling to pieces like an artichoke, leaf by leaf (a phrase constantly ringing in our ears in relation to the piecemeal dismemberment of the Chinese Empire)—herbarium—bookworms, whose favourite food is books."
},
{
"ref": "2012, James Lambert, “Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English”, in World Englishes, page 312",
"text": "The dictionaries themselves cover this additional lexis in what can best be described as a piecemeal fashion, with an obvious but unwarranted bias towards colonial era lexis.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time."
],
"id": "en-piecemeal-en-adj-jeguY3ZU",
"links": [
[
"piece",
"piece"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "stepwise"
},
{
"word": "gradual"
}
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "vähittäinen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "asteittainen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "askelittainen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "paloittainen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "scheibchenweise"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "häppchenweise"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "bruchstückhaft"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "kleinteilig"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "in kleinen Schritten"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "stückweise"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "smám saman"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "frammentario"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "kōhikohiko"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "tūāporoporo"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fragmentaryczny"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "wyrywkowy"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fragmentado"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "fragmentada"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "postepénnyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "постепе́нный"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pošágovyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "поша́говый"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "deslavazado"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "poco sistemático"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "pokrókovyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "покро́ковий"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "poetápnyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "поета́пний"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "frahmentárnyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "фрагмента́рний"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "piecemeal (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adv"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adv",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "30 43 2 11 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 47 4 14 11",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 46 4 12 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English positive polarity items",
"parents": [
"Positive polarity items",
"Terms by semantic function"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "26 40 8 13 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -meal",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1914, Saki, The Forbidden Buzzards",
"text": "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.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 96",
"text": "The Western Region route, by contrast, was built up piecemeal and was not shaped in its present form until 1910.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Piece by piece; in small amounts, stages, or degrees."
],
"id": "en-piecemeal-en-adv-djE~~qbT",
"links": [
[
"Piece",
"piece"
],
[
"stage",
"stage"
],
[
"degree",
"degree"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "little by little"
}
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "edno po edno",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "едно по едно"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "na parče",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "на парче"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "mondjesmaat"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "asteittain"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "vähä vähältä"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "pala palalta"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "einzeln"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "in Portiönchen"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "häppchenweise"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "scheibchenweise"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "Stück für Stück"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "carptim"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "intercīsē"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "dǣlmǣlum"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "brytmǣlum"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "styċċemǣlum"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "po trochu"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "po kawałku"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "aos poucos"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "po častjám",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "по частя́м"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "postepénno",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "постепе́нно"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "gd",
"lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "mean air mhean"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "deslavazadamente"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "desordenadamente"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "častýnamy",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "части́нами"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "postupóvo",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "поступо́во"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1888 October 3, “The Whitehall Murder”, in Daily Telegraph, London",
"text": "A few years ago also there was the case of Kate Webster, who at Richmond murdered her mistress, and, fiend-like, cut the body up piecemeal, and tried to dispose of it in various ways by small portions.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Into pieces or parts."
],
"id": "en-piecemeal-en-adv-mA~A~1w0",
"links": [
[
"part",
"part"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "apart"
}
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "met stukjes en beetjes"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "palasiksi"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "in Einzelteile"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "na kawałki"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "na kuskí",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на куски́"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "na části",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на ча́сти"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "na šmatký",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на шматки́"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 97",
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "na častýny",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на части́ни"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "bit by bit"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "incrementally"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "asunder"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "piecemeals",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "piecemealing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "piecemealed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "piecemealed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "piecemeal (third-person singular simple present piecemeals, present participle piecemealing, simple past and past participle piecemealed)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"derived": [
{
"word": "piecemealing"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To divide or distribute piecemeal; dismember."
],
"id": "en-piecemeal-en-verb-P8OZkIne",
"links": [
[
"divide",
"divide"
],
[
"distribute",
"distribute"
],
[
"dismember",
"dismember"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To divide or distribute piecemeal; dismember."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "apportion"
},
{
"word": "mete out"
},
{
"word": "parcel out"
},
{
"word": "divide"
},
{
"word": "distribute"
}
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "piecemeals",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "piecemeal (plural piecemeals)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "a. 1695, Henry Vaughan, Ode",
"text": "Thus the world Is all to piecemeals cut",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1762, Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy (V.iii)",
"text": "The fairest towns that ever the sun rose upon, are now no more: the names only are left, and those (for many of them are wrong spelt) are falling themselves by piecemeals to decay.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A fragment; a scrap."
],
"id": "en-piecemeal-en-noun-qRJvwE07",
"links": [
[
"fragment",
"fragment"
],
[
"scrap",
"scrap"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "bit"
},
{
"word": "lump"
},
{
"word": "portion"
},
{
"word": "piece"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English adjectives",
"English adverbs",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English positive polarity items",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old English",
"English terms suffixed with -meal",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"English uncomparable adverbs",
"English verbs"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "piecemeal approach"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal fashion"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal basis"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal way"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal change"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal reform"
},
{
"word": "piecemeal measure"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "piecemeal (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1947, George Marshall, The Marshall Plan Speech",
"text": "Such assistance, I am convinced, must not be on a piecemeal basis, as various crises develop.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1953, James Strachey, translation of Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, Avon Books, pg. 224",
"text": "But the copious and intertwined associative links warrant our accepting the former alternative: cyclamen—favourite flower—favourite food— artichokes; pulling to pieces like an artichoke, leaf by leaf (a phrase constantly ringing in our ears in relation to the piecemeal dismemberment of the Chinese Empire)—herbarium—bookworms, whose favourite food is books."
},
{
"ref": "2012, James Lambert, “Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English”, in World Englishes, page 312",
"text": "The dictionaries themselves cover this additional lexis in what can best be described as a piecemeal fashion, with an obvious but unwarranted bias towards colonial era lexis.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time."
],
"links": [
[
"piece",
"piece"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "stepwise"
},
{
"word": "gradual"
}
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "vähittäinen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "asteittainen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "askelittainen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "paloittainen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "scheibchenweise"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "häppchenweise"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "bruchstückhaft"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "kleinteilig"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "in kleinen Schritten"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "stückweise"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "smám saman"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "frammentario"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "kōhikohiko"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "tūāporoporo"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fragmentaryczny"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "wyrywkowy"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fragmentado"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "fragmentada"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "postepénnyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "постепе́нный"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pošágovyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "поша́говый"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "deslavazado"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "poco sistemático"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "pokrókovyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "покро́ковий"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "poetápnyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "поета́пний"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "frahmentárnyj",
"sense": "Made or done in pieces or one stage at a time",
"word": "фрагмента́рний"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English adjectives",
"English adverbs",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English positive polarity items",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old English",
"English terms suffixed with -meal",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"English uncomparable adverbs",
"English verbs"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "piecemeal (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adv"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adv",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1914, Saki, The Forbidden Buzzards",
"text": "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.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 96",
"text": "The Western Region route, by contrast, was built up piecemeal and was not shaped in its present form until 1910.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Piece by piece; in small amounts, stages, or degrees."
],
"links": [
[
"Piece",
"piece"
],
[
"stage",
"stage"
],
[
"degree",
"degree"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1888 October 3, “The Whitehall Murder”, in Daily Telegraph, London",
"text": "A few years ago also there was the case of Kate Webster, who at Richmond murdered her mistress, and, fiend-like, cut the body up piecemeal, and tried to dispose of it in various ways by small portions.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Into pieces or parts."
],
"links": [
[
"part",
"part"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "little by little"
},
{
"word": "bit by bit"
},
{
"word": "incrementally"
},
{
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "apart"
},
{
"word": "asunder"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "edno po edno",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "едно по едно"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "na parče",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "на парче"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "mondjesmaat"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "asteittain"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "vähä vähältä"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "pala palalta"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "einzeln"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "in Portiönchen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "häppchenweise"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "scheibchenweise"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "Stück für Stück"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "carptim"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "intercīsē"
},
{
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "dǣlmǣlum"
},
{
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "brytmǣlum"
},
{
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "styċċemǣlum"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "po trochu"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "po kawałku"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "aos poucos"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "po častjám",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "по частя́м"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "postepénno",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "постепе́нно"
},
{
"code": "gd",
"lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "mean air mhean"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "deslavazadamente"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "desordenadamente"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "častýnamy",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "части́нами"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "postupóvo",
"sense": "piece by piece",
"word": "поступо́во"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "met stukjes en beetjes"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "palasiksi"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "in Einzelteile"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "na kawałki"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "na kuskí",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на куски́"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "na části",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на ча́сти"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "na šmatký",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на шматки́"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "na častýny",
"sense": "into pieces or parts",
"word": "на части́ни"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English adjectives",
"English adverbs",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English positive polarity items",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old English",
"English terms suffixed with -meal",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"English uncomparable adverbs",
"English verbs"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "piecemealing"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "piecemeals",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "piecemealing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "piecemealed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "piecemealed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "piecemeal (third-person singular simple present piecemeals, present participle piecemealing, simple past and past participle piecemealed)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English transitive verbs"
],
"glosses": [
"To divide or distribute piecemeal; dismember."
],
"links": [
[
"divide",
"divide"
],
[
"distribute",
"distribute"
],
[
"dismember",
"dismember"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To divide or distribute piecemeal; dismember."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "apportion"
},
{
"word": "mete out"
},
{
"word": "parcel out"
},
{
"word": "divide"
},
{
"word": "distribute"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English adjectives",
"English adverbs",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English positive polarity items",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old English",
"English terms suffixed with -meal",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"English uncomparable adverbs",
"English verbs"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "pecemele"
},
"expansion": "Middle English pecemele",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pece",
"3": "",
"4": "piece"
},
"expansion": "pece (“piece”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "mele"
},
"expansion": "mele",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "mǣlum",
"4": "",
"5": "at a time"
},
"expansion": "Old English mǣlum (“at a time”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "mǣl",
"3": "",
"4": "time, measure"
},
"expansion": "mǣl (“time, measure”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "styċċemǣlum",
"3": "",
"4": "in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually"
},
"expansion": "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”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "piece",
"3": "meal"
},
"expansion": "piece + -meal",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "piecemeals",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "piecemeal (plural piecemeals)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "a. 1695, Henry Vaughan, Ode",
"text": "Thus the world Is all to piecemeals cut",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1762, Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy (V.iii)",
"text": "The fairest towns that ever the sun rose upon, are now no more: the names only are left, and those (for many of them are wrong spelt) are falling themselves by piecemeals to decay.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A fragment; a scrap."
],
"links": [
[
"fragment",
"fragment"
],
[
"scrap",
"scrap"
]
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈpiːs.miːl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg/En-us-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-us-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg/En-au-piecemeal.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/En-au-piecemeal.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "bit"
},
{
"word": "lump"
},
{
"word": "portion"
},
{
"word": "piece"
}
],
"word": "piecemeal"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.