The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Piecemeal \Piece"meal`\, n.
   A fragment; a scrap. --R. Vaughan.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Piecemeal \Piece"meal`\, adv. [OE. pecemele; pece a piece + AS.
   m?lum, dat. pl. of m?l part. See Meal a portion.]
   1. In pieces; in parts or fragments. "On which it piecemeal
      brake." --Chapman.
      [1913 Webster]

            The beasts will tear thee piecemeal.  --Tennyson.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Piece by piece; by little and little in succession.
      [1913 Webster]

            Piecemeal they win, this acre first, than that.
                                                  --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Piecemeal \Piece"meal`\, a.
   Made up of parts or pieces; single; separate. "These
   piecemeal guilts." --Gov. of Tongue.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

piecemeal
    adv 1: a little bit at a time; "the research structure has
           developed piecemeal" [syn: piecemeal, little by
           little, bit by bit, in stages]
    adj 1: one thing at a time [syn: bit-by-bit, in small
           stages, piecemeal, step-by-step, stepwise]