Meanings
plural mealies
- South AfricaAn ear or kernel of maize; in plural as mass noun: maize, corn.
My mother planted and harvested her own mealies.
1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, page 102 more examples
The wants of a native living with his tribe and cultivating mealies or Kafir corn are confined to a kaross (skin cloak) or some pieces of cotton cloth.
1897, James Bryce, Impressions of South Africa, page 90At the other end of the veranda, on two deck-chairs planted side by side and looking away over the bush and the mealie fields, were Mr. Quest and Mr. Van Rensberg […]
1952, Doris Lessing, Martha Quest, Panther, published 1974, page 8
Origin
- Old Frenchmil“millet”
- Dutchmilie“millet, maize”
- Afrikaansmielie
- Englishmealie
Borrowed from Afrikaans mielie, from obsolete Dutch milie (“millet, maize”), from Old French mil (“millet”).
More words from Afrikaans, Dutch, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
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Cite this entry
mealie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mealie
“mealie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mealie. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mealie,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mealie.
Source: mealie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.