-mælum

From West Germanic *-mālum. Cognate with Old High German -mālum. Equivalent to the dative/instrumental plural of mǣl (“time, occasion”).

• IPA^(key): /mǣlum/

-mǣlum

1. used to denote a fixed amount of something at a time

   bitmǣlum (“bit by bit”)

   dropmǣlum (“drop by drop”)

   flocmǣlum (“in flocks, in droves”)

   ġēarmǣlum (“year by year”)

   hēapmǣlum (“in groups”)

   stæpmǣlum (“step by step”)

   styċċemǣlum (“piece by piece”)

   þūsendmǣlum (“by the thousands”)

• Middle English: -mele
  • English: -meal