English

Noun

vittle ‎(plural vittles)

1. (archaic) Food.
   • 1719: Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

     Friday told me such a boat would do very well, and would carry "much enough vittle, drink, bread;" this was his way of talking.

   • 1724-5: Jonathan Swift, Stella's Birthday

     I must confess your wine and vittle

     I was too hard upon a little:

2. (colloquial, in the plural) Food; edible provisions.
   • 1884, Mark Twain, chapter 21, in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:

     ...and his motto was, "Meat first, and spoon vittles to top off on."

Usage notes

The plural form, vittles, is now more commonly used for both singular and plural instances.

Translations

Verb

vittle ‎(third-person singular simple present vittles, present participle vittling, simple past and past participle vittled)

1. To provide or obtain edible provisions.
   • 1860: William Carleton, Tales & Stories of the Irish Peasantry

     ...Balgruntie was bent on makin' the attempt, especially after he heard that the castle was well vittled, an' indeed he was meritoriously joined by his men, who piously licked their lips on hearin' of such glad tidin's.