Lunch Is Short for Luncheon, Which Meant a Lump
Lunch is a midday meal. The word was a shortening of luncheon and originally described a thick piece of food.
Lunch is a meal eaten in the middle of the day. The word arrived late and awkwardly: *luncheon* first meant a thick piece or lump of food, and *lunch* was a shortening that many nineteenth-century writers considered vulgar. Before it settled, the midday meal was *dinner*, and *supper* was the evening meal — which is why some British families still call the midday meal dinner. *Free lunch* entered English from American saloons offering food to drinkers.
- A midday meal. *A quick lunch.*
- Luncheon — the formal word. *A luncheon party.*
- To eat lunch. *We lunched together.*
- No such thing as a free lunch — everything has a cost. *No free lunch.*
- Out to lunch — inattentive. *He's out to lunch.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lunch | A late lunch. |
| Plural | lunches | Packed lunches. |
| Verb | lunch | Lunch at one. |
| Formal | luncheon | A luncheon. |
| Compound | lunchtime | Lunchtime. |
- We had lunch at the pub.Meal.
- There's no such thing as a free lunch.Proverb.
- Luncheon once meant a lump of food.Etymology.
Dinner, tea or supper?
- Dinner — historically the main meal, whenever it was eaten
- In parts of Britain the midday meal is still dinner
- Tea — the evening meal in much of northern England and Scotland
- Supper — a light evening meal, or the main one, depending on region
- The words divide by class and region more than by time of day
A shortening of *luncheon*, itself of uncertain origin, possibly from *lump*, a thick piece. Recorded from the 1500s.
Why do some British people call lunch dinner?
Because dinner historically meant the main meal of the day, which for many was eaten at midday. The usage survives regionally.
Where does no free lunch come from?
From American saloons in the 1800s that offered free food to paying drinkers, with the cost built into the drinks.