Dinner
/ˈdɪn.ər/noun
The main meal of the day, typically eaten in the evening in modern English.
Did you know?“Dinner” comes from Old French *disner*, originally meaning “to break one’s fast,” showing how everyday food words often began as ritual timing words rather than names for the food itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ed-
“to eat”
Latin
Latin
dis- + iēiunāre
“to break a fast”
Old French
Old French
disner
“to dine; to eat the first meal of the day”
Middle English
English
diner
“the first substantial meal of the day”
Modern English
English
dinner
“the main meal of the day”