Veal comes from Anglo-Norman 'veel', Old French 'veel' ('calf'), from Latin 'vitellus' ('little calf'), diminutive of 'vitulus' ('calf'). In current use it is a noun meaning "the flesh of a young calf used as meat". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. A diminutive element is part of the history, marking a smaller or derived form. The historical chain includes Old French veel and Latin vitulus. Related English forms include vellum and vituline. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.