offal
/ˈɒfəl/ noun
Forms offals
- noun The internal organs of an animal (entrails or innards), used as food.
- noun A by-product of the grain milling process, which may include bran, husks, etc.
- noun A dead body; carrion.
- noun That which is thrown away as worthless or unfit for use; refuse; rubbish.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English offal, offall, offalle (“offal, refuse, scrap waste”), equivalent to off- + fall. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oufal (“offal”), West Frisian ôffal (“offal”), Dutch afval (“waste, refuse”), German Low German Offall (“offal”), German Abfall (“waste, refuse”), Danish affald (“waste, refuse”), Swedish avfall (“waste, refuse”), Old English offeallan (“to cut off”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Off + fall.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “offal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details