Porridge vs. Gruel

Porridgenoun

A type of thick soup or stew, especially thickened with barley.

Porridgenoun

A dish made of grain or legumes, milk and/or water, heated and stirred until thick and typically eaten for breakfast.

Porridgenoun

(British slang) A prison sentence.

Porridgenoun

A food made by boiling some leguminous or farinaceous substance, or the meal of it, in water or in milk, making of broth or thin pudding; as, barley porridge, milk porridge, bean porridge, etc.

Porridgenoun

soft food made by boiling oatmeal or other meal or legumes in water or milk until thick

Porridgenoun

a dish consisting of oatmeal or another meal or cereal boiled in water or milk.

Porridgenoun

time spent in prison

Porridge

Porridge is a food commonly eaten as a breakfast cereal dish, made by boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants—typically grain—in milk. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, or it can be mixed with spices, meat or vegetables to make a savoury dish.

Gruelnoun

A thin, watery porridge, formerly eaten primarily by the poor and the ill.

Gruelverb

(transitive) To exhaust; use up; disable; to punish.

Gruelnoun

A light, liquid food, made by boiling meal of maize, oatmeal, or flour in water or milk; thin porridge.

Gruelnoun

a thin porridge (usually oatmeal or cornmeal)

Gruel

Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye or rice—boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten and may not need to be cooked.