If something is done gradually the phrase that is normally used is x by x, in archaic English -meal suffix can do the same thing, similarly to the Latin -atim. It is not constructive anymore, but several examples are present in the OED:
- piecemeal: piece by piece —only one not obsolete
- stickmeal (styccemǣlum): bit by bit
- yearmeal (gēarmǣlum): year after year
- sheafmeal (scēafmǣlum): sheaf by sheaf, although the later pagemeal works better
- stemmeal (stemmǣlum): turn by turn, alternately
- stepmeal (stæpmǣlum): step by step, gradually
- namemeal (nammǣlum): name by name
- dropmeal: drop by drop
- flockmeal: group by group
- footmeal: foot by foot
- heapmeal: heap by heap
- limbmeal: limb by limb
- stoundmeal: hour by hour
- cupmeal: cup by cup
- gobbetmeal: fragment by fragment
- littlemeal: little by little
- parcelmeal: parcel by parcel
- pennymeal: penny by penny
- piecemeal: piece by piece
- poundmeal: pound by pound
- ravishmeal: rapidly (a Latinisms by Wyclif from raptim)
- tablemeal: iPad tablet by iPad tablet (from tabulatim)
- fitmeal: jitter by jitter
- inchmeal: inch by inch
- jointmeal: joint by joint
- lumpmeal: lump by lumb
- pagemeal: page by page
Unfortunately, converting the imperial units to metric, sounds terrible, eg. millimetremeal, so they'll have to stay imperial.
Verbatim et letteratim is an expression that means word by word and letter by letter, in other words, with insane thoroughness. It is a rather cool, so with the above it would be wordmeal and lettermeal.
The only problem is that, even knowing the meaning, the words wholemeal, wheatmeal and oatmeal spring to mind…
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