Entry Printed from Oxford English Dictionary Online

Entry printed from Oxford English Dictionary Online

veal, n.1

/ SECOND EDITION 1989

(vil)Forms: 4 vel (5 vell), 5-7 vele; 5 veel (feel), 6 veele; 5 veylle, 6 veyle (Sc.veil, weill); 6-7 veale (6 ueale, feale), 6- veal (Sc. 7 weall, 8 veall).[a. AF. vel, OF. veel (viel, veal, vael, etc.; mod.F. veau), vedel, = Prov. vedel(h, Cat. vedel, It. and Pg. vitello:L. vitellus, dim. of vitulus calf.]

1. The flesh of a calf as an article of diet.

c1386CHAUCERMerch. T. 176 ‘Bet is,’ quod he, ‘a pyk than a pikerell, And bet than olde boef is the tendre vel’. c1400MANDEVILLE (1839) vi. 72 Thei eten but lytille or non of Flessche of Veel or of Beef. c1420Liber Cocorum (1862) 28 A sawce hit is For vele and venyson, iwys. c1440Promp. Parv. 508/2 Veel, flesche, vitulina. 1515BARCLAYEglogesII. (1570) Biii/2 Fat porke or vele, & namely such as is bought For easier price when they be leane & nought. 1555EDENDecades (Arb.) 177 They also coompare the fleshe of these tortoyses to be equall with veale in taste. 1620VENNERVia Recta iii. 51 Veale is a more odoriferous flesh then any other. 1653H. COGAN tr. Pinto's Trav. xxxiv. 137 These people feed on all, as Veal, Mutton, Pork,..and finally of all other beasts whatsoever. 1706-7FARQUHARBeaux' Strat.I. i, Aim. Have you any Veal? Bon. Veal! Sir, we had a delicate Loin of Veal on Wednesday last. 1780BECKFORDBiog. Mem. 125 The most perfect fillet of veal that ever made the mouth of man to water. 1846J. BAXTERLibr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. 127 In the rearing of calves for veal in Holland, it is usual to confine them in..pens. 1890Spectator 4 Oct., What insipid and tasteless cheer does veal afford!

2. A calf, esp. as killed for food or intended for this purpose. Now rare.

1422YONGE tr. Secreta Secret. 244 Flesh of Velis, Vynegre, hemroll, and Potage of oot-mell. c1450Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.) 71 The ydolatiers of the golden veel. 1466Paston Lett. II. 269 For purveying of all the velys, lambes,..certain piggs and polaly. 1513DOUGLASÆneidXII. Prol. 185 Tydy ky lowys, veilys by thame rynnis. 1544 in Star Chamber Cases (Selden) II. 305 The prices of Flesh, as of Beefes, Muttons, Veales, & Porkes. 1582Nottingham Rec. IV. 199, vj. fatte wethres, at viijs. viijd. a pece, and ij. veyles, at vjs. viijd. a pece. 1601R. JOHNSONKingd. & Commw. 25 The flesh..of their swine, oxen, and veales haue the best relish. 1648HERRICKHesper., Paneg. Sir L. Pemberton 63 When guests make their abode To eate thy Bullocks thighs, thy Veales, thy fat Weathers. 1688HOLMEArmouryIII. 315/1 Upon these [drag hooks] are hung two Veals or Muttons at a time. 1737Ochtertyre House Bk. (S.H.S.) 13 Killd a Veall. 1801Farmer's Mag. Aug. 319 In selling veals to butchers, their haggling was extremely disagreeable. 1855THACKERAYNewcomes I. 265 My mother..would receive her prodigal and kill the fatted veal for me. 1898WESTCOTTDavid Harum xvii, Jim brought three or four veals into town one spring to sell.

collect.1710ADDISONTatler No. 148 1 The Flesh of Lamb, Veal, Chicken, and other Animals under Age.

3. a.attrib., chiefly in names of dishes, etc., made from veal, as veal (and ham) pie, veal broth, cutlet, gravy, etc.

a1625FLETCHERHum. Lieut.III. vii, Ye Porridg gutted Slaves, ye Veal broth-Boobies! 1630J. TAYLOR (Water P.) Gt. Eater Kent 14 Three sixe-penny veale pyes..were presented to the scalado. 1675E. W[ILSON]Spadacrene Dunelmensis 39 This [water]..helpeth all internal corrosions, if taken in Veal Broath fasting. 1725Fam. Dict. s.v., Put your Veal Stakes into the Pan again, and finish the dressing with Veal Sweet-Breads. Ibid., Some Veal Gravy must be pour'd upon it. 1728E. SMITHCompl. Housewife (ed. 2) 41 (heading) To make veal cutlets. 1747 tr. Astruc's Fevers 340 Let the patient also drink plentifully of veal broth. 1769MRS. RAFFALDEng. Housek. (1778) 19 About a pound of beef or veal suet. 1811JANE AUSTENSense & Sens. II. iv. 53 Preferring salmon to cod, or boiled fowls to veal cutlets. 1827SCOTTSurg. Dau. ii, Lamb and spinage, and a veal Florentine. 1833L. RITCHIEWand. by Loire 182 A large baby in one arm, and a basket of..cold veal-pie in the other. 1848DICKENSDombey xviii, He treats Mrs. Perch to a veal cutlet and Scotch ale. 1848THACKERAYPendennis (1849) I. v. 49 That girl, sir, makes the best veal and ham pie in England. 1858SIMMONDSDict. Trade, Veal-tea, a thick gelatinous soup or broth made of the fleshy part of the fillet or knuckle of veal. 1861MRS. BEETONBk. Househ. Managem. 942 Saturday. 1. Rump-steaks, broiled, and oyster sauce, mashed potatoes; veal-and-ham pie. 1885JEROMEOn the Stage 48 Property Man, behind, making a veal and ham pie, out of an old piece of canvas and a handful of shavings.

b. Special Combs.: veal-bleda., bled to exhaustion, like a calf intended for veal; veal-bones, fig. youth, nonage; veal calf, (a) = sense 2; (b) a variety of leather; veal-farmer, one who rears calves for the butcher; veal-likea., resembling (that of) veal; veal money (see quot.); veal parmigiana[It. parmigiano Parmesan cheese], a dish of small escalopes of veal and cheese; veal piccata, a dish of small escalopes of veal; veal-skin, (a) the skin of a calf; (b) a skin-disease characterized by white shining spots.

1899Westm. Gaz. 8 Sept. 3/1 The exhausted, and almost *veal-bled and forlorn bull.

1785R. CUMBERLANDObserver No. 92, Our process seldom fails in either case, when we apply it timely, and especially to young poets in their *veal bones, as the saying is. 1888ADDYSheffield Gloss. 272 There is a saying ‘married in the veal bones always a calf’.

?1556Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees, 1835) 153 To Thomas morison..for ij *veale calves. 1895Boston Herald 21 March 5/6 Colored leather is firmer and selling more freely: Grain, 12 @ 14c; veal calf, 16 @ 18c. 1946 F. H. GARNERBrit. Dairying xi. 228 Veal calves demand much milk when being reared. 1981Times 25 July 3/2 Veal calves are penned in tight crates on liquid feeds throughout their lives.

1844H. STEPHENSBk. Farm II. 469 The *veal-farmers keep from 6 to 12 cows each. 1822-7 *Veal-like [see veal-skin below]. 1897W. ANDERSONSurg. Treat. Lupus 7 An unwholesome, veal-like whiteness, diversified by tiny blood-vessels.

1684MANLEYCowell's Interpreter s.v., *Veale money or Veale noble money. The Tenants of one of the Tythings within the Mannor of Bradford in Wiltshire, pay a yearly Rent by this name..in lieu of veale paid formerly in kind.

1963R. CARRIERGt. Dishes of World ix. 161 *Veal parmigiana. 1972 [see LINGUINE]. 1983 C. MCCARRYLast SupperIV. i. 184 He..ordered veal parmigiana..crusty veal with its rubbery slab of strange white cheese covered with tomato sauce.

1973 *Veal piccata [see PRIMEa. 4a]. 1982J. D. MACDONALDCinnamon Skin xvii. 172 The veal piccata..went well with the Valpolicella.

1591Exch. Rolls Scotl. XXII. 171 [10s. of certain] barkit *weillskynnis. 1822-7GOODStudy Med. (1829) V. 694 Epichrosis Leucasmus. Veal-Skin... This is the vitiligo or veal-skin of Willan, so called from the veal-like appearance which these spots produce on the general colour of the surface. 1858SIMMONDSDict. Trade, Veal-skins, an Irish trade-name for hides of the calf, which are dearer than other leather.

Hence vealv. trans., to rear (calves) for use as veal; vealer, a calf intended or fit for veal.

1901- in American dicts. 1931Daily News-Journal (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) 17 Apr. 4/1 Better grade vealers around 50c higher. 1977West Briton 25 Aug. 11/1 Calvesvealers to £26. 1984Grass Roots (N.Z.) Feb. 13/1 We have been developing a thriving vealer mini project on 25 acres at Neerim South in West Gippsland, Victoria.