Dinner Once Meant Breakfast
Dinner is the main meal of the day. Its name comes from breaking a fast, and what time it happens has moved for centuries.
Dinner is the main meal of the day. The word comes from Old French *disner*, to break one's fast — so dinner was originally breakfast, taken in the morning. As the main meal drifted later through the centuries, the name went with it, and in parts of Britain dinner is still the midday meal while the evening one is tea.
- The main meal. *Sunday dinner.*
- A formal meal. *A charity dinner.*
- The midday meal (British regional). *School dinners.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dinner | A hot dinner. |
| Plural | dinners | Two dinners. |
| Compound | dinner party | A dinner party. |
| Related | supper | A light supper. |
| Related | tea | Tea at six. |
How it is used in a sentence
- School dinners are served at noon.British: the midday meal.
- Dinner is at eight.Evening, in most of Britain today.
- Done like a dinner.Australian: thoroughly beaten.
British meal names
- Breakfast — the morning meal, breaking the night's fast
- Lunch or dinner — the midday meal, depending on region and class
- Tea or dinner — the evening meal, same variation
- Supper — a late light meal, or the evening meal in some households
- High tea — a substantial early evening meal in the north
From Old French *disner*, to dine, from Vulgar Latin *disieiunare*, to break a fast, from *dis* and *ieiunus*, fasting.
Are dinner and breakfast the same word?
They share a meaning. Both describe breaking a fast, though breakfast is an English compound and dinner came through French.
Is dinner midday or evening?
Both, depending on region and household. In much of northern England dinner is at noon and the evening meal is tea.