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Leavings vs Leftover - What's the difference?

leavings | leftover |

As nouns the difference between leavings and leftover

is that leavings is a worthless and incidental residuum, as scraps from a meal or shavings or sawdust from wood while leftover is something left behind; an excess or remainder.

As an adjective leftover is

remaining; left behind; extra; in reserve.

leavings

English

Noun

(-)
  • A worthless and incidental residuum, as scraps from a meal or shavings or sawdust from wood.
  • :The leavings were thrown to the dogs.
  • A worthless surfeit of material, as leftovers from a meal or scrap lumber.
  • :The poor survive on the leavings of the rich and wasteful.

    • Anagrams

    *

    leftover

    English

    Alternative forms

    * left over, left-over

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Remaining; left behind; extra; in reserve.
    • Do you want some of the leftover supplies from the event?
  • (chiefly, in the plural, usually, of food) Remaining after a meal is complete or eaten for a later meal or snack.
    • I have some leftover spaghetti in the fridge, so I don't plan to cook tonight.
    Not leftovers again.

    Usage notes

    * When used after a verb (as part of a predicate phrase), use two separate words: *: I can walk for miles and still have energy left over.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something left behind; an excess or remainder.
    • It's a leftover from yesterday, but it's still perfectly good.
    The entire wheel of cheese is a leftover from the party.