dinner

English

Etymology

From Middle English dyner, from Old French disner (“lunch”, but originally “breakfast”), (modern French dîner), from Vulgar Latin *disiūnō, *disiūnāre from Latin dis- + iēiūnō (“to break the fast”).Doublet of diner.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪnə/
(US) enPR: dĭnʹər, IPA^(key): /ˈdɪnəɹ/, [ˈdɪnɚ]
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (UK) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪnə(ɹ)
Hyphenation: din‧ner

Noun

dinner (countable and uncountable, plural dinners)

A midday meal (in a context in which the evening meal is called supper or tea).
- 1892, Walter Besant, “In the Office”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], OCLC 16832619, page 45:
  At twilight in the summer […] the mice come out. They […] eat the luncheon crumbs. Mr. Checkley, for instance, always brought his dinner in a paper parcel in his coat-tail pocket, and ate it when so disposed, sprinkling crumbs lavishly […] on the floor.
- 1919, Elisabeth P. Stork (translator), Heidi, Johanna Spyri:
  It was already late for school, so the boy took his time and only arrived in the village when Heidi came home for dinner. […] "Come to the table now and eat with us. Then you can go up with Heidi, and when you bring her back at night, you can get your supper here."
The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
  I want to cook dinner.
  Audio (US) (file)
An evening meal.
I had some friends to dinner two nights ago.
A meal given to an animal.
Give the dog its dinner.
A formal meal for many people eaten for a special occasion.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., OCLC 222716698, page 2:
  When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.
- 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:
  Soon after the arrival of Mrs. Campbell, dinner was announced by Abboye. He came into the drawing room resplendent in his gold-and-white turban. […] His cummerbund matched the turban in gold lines.
(uncountable) The food provided or consumed at any such meal.

Usage notes

There are differences in usage according to the social class of the speaker. Working-class and lower-middle-class speakers in Britain, for example, are more likely to refer to the midday meal as "dinner" and the evening meal as "tea" rather than "supper". Some speakers use common collocations of dinner such as school dinner, Sunday dinner and Christmas dinner to describe meals that they wouldn't otherwise call a dinner.

Synonyms

(an evening meal): supper, tea
(meal given to an animal): chow
(midday meal): lunch, luncheon
(formal meal for many people eaten at a special occasion): banquet, feast, luncheon

Derived terms

after-dinner
after-dinner speech
all duck or no dinner
a revolution is not a dinner party
basket dinner
boiled dinner
brinner
candlelight dinner
candlelit dinner
Christmas dinner
dinner camp
dinner dance
dinner dress
dinner fork
dinner-goer
dinner guest
dinner hour
dinner-hour
dinner jacket
dinner-jacketed
dinner knife
dinner lady
dinnerless
dinner man
dinner party
dinner pill
dinner plate
dinner ring
dinner roll
dinner salad
dinner service
dinner shirt
dinner suit
dinner table
dinner theater
dinner theatre
dinner time
dinner-time
dinner wagon
dinnerware
dinnery
doggy dinner bowl look
dog's dinner
done up like a dog's dinner
dressed up like a dog's dinner
dunch
frozen dinner
hand in one's dinner pail
idea dinner
Javanese dinner
Jiggs dinner
life-dinner principle
linner
potluck dinner
progressive dinner
rehearsal dinner
roast dinner
rubber-chicken dinner
school dinner
school dinner lady
scramble dinner
shore dinner
Sunday dinner
Trafalgar Night dinner
TV dinner

Related terms

(combinatorial form): deipno-
(fear of): deipnophobia
(verb): dine

Descendants

→ Cantonese: dinner
→ German: Dinner
→ Hausa: dina
→ Japanese: ディナー (dinā)
→ Maori: tina
→ Swazi: lidina
→ Unami: ntìnël
→ Xhosa: idinala

Translations

main meal of the day

Afrikaans: aandete (af), middagmaal, dinee
Albanian: darkë (sq) f
Arabic: عَشَاء‎ m (ʕašāʔ)
Egyptian Arabic: عشا‎ (ʿáša)
Hijazi Arabic: عشا‎ m (ʿaša)
Armenian: ճաշ (hy) (čaš)
Aromanian: tsinã f
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܐ݇ܟ݂ܵܠ݇ܪܲܡܫܵܐ‎ (ḳarāmša)
Azerbaijani: axşam yeməyi, şam (az)
Basque: afari (eu)
Belarusian: вячэ́ра f (vjačéra) (eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal)
Bengali: হাজরি (bn) (hazri), বড় হাজরি (bn) (bôṛô hazri)
Bulgarian: вече́ря (bg) f (večérja) (eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal)
Catalan: sopar (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 晚飯／晚饭, 晚饭 (maan⁵ faan⁶)
Gan: 夜飯／夜饭, 夜饭 (ya⁵ fan⁵) (eaten in the evening)
Mandarin: 晚飯／晚饭 (zh) (wǎnfàn), 晚餐 (zh) (wǎncān) (eaten in the evening)
Czech: oběd (cs) m (in Czech the midday meal is the main meal), večeře (cs) f (eaten in the evening)
Danish: middag (da), aftensmad (da) c
Dutch: avondeten (nl) n, avondmaaltijd (nl) m, avondmaal (nl) n, eten (nl) n
Esperanto: vespermanĝo
Finnish: päivällinen (fi), illallinen (fi)
French: dîner (fr) m (Central France), souper (fr) m (Belgium, Cajun, Swiss and Canadian French; eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal)
Friulian: cene f
Galician: cea (gl) f, xantar (gl) m
Georgian: სადილი (sadili)
German: Hauptmahlzeit (de) f, Abendessen (de) n
Greek: δείπνο (el) n (deípno), βραδινό (el) n (vradinó), κύριο γεύμα n (kýrio gévma)
Ancient: δόρπον n (dórpon) (early usage), δεῖπνον n (deîpnon) (later usage)
Hawaiian: ʻaina ahiahi
Hebrew: ארוחת ערב‎ (he) (arukhat erev) (evening meal; but, in Israel, for many, the main meal is the midday meal)
Hindi: दावत (hi) f (dāvat), रात का भोजन m (rāt kā bhojan), भोजन (hi) m (bhojan), भोज (hi) m (bhoj), खाना (hi) m (khānā)
Hungarian: vacsora (hu) (eaten in the evening), ebéd (hu) (in Hungary the midday meal is the main meal), estebéd (hu) (a rare term referring to a hot meal in the evening, literally "evening-lunch")
Icelandic: kvöldmatur (is) m
Ido: dineo (io)
Irish: dinnéar m
Italian: cena (it) f
Japanese: 夕食 (ja) (ゆうしょく, yūshoku) (eaten in the evening)
Javanese: mangan bengi
Korean: 저녁 (ko) (jeonyeok)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: şîv (ku) f
Ladin: cëina f
Latgalian: vakareņis
Latin: cēna (la) f
Latvian: vakariņas f pl (evening meal; but, in Latvia, the main meal is the midday meal)
Ligurian: çenn-a f
Lithuanian: vakarienė f (evening meal; but, in Lithuania, the main meal is the midday meal)
Lombard: zèna f
Macedonian: вечера f (večera) (eaten in the evening)
Malay: makan malam (ms)
Maltese: ċena f
Manx: please add this translation if you can
Maori: hapa
Middle English: dyner
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: оройн хоол (orojn xool), оройн зоог (orojn zoog)
Mòcheno: tschai'
Nahuatl: cochcayotl
Navajo: eʼeʼáahgo daʼadánígíí
Northern Sami: mállásat
Norwegian:
Bokmål: middag (no) m
Nynorsk: middag m
Occitan: sopar (oc) m
Old English: middægþenung f
Oromo: irbaata
Pashto: ماښامنۍ‎ f (mâẍâmanə́y)
Persian: شام‎ (fa) (šâm)
Piedmontese: sin-a f
Plautdietsch: Owentkost n
Polish: obiad (pl) m
Portuguese: jantar (pt) (eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal), ceia (pt) f
Romagnol: zéna f
Romanian: cină (ro) f, masă de seară f
Romansch: tschaina f
Russian: у́жин (ru) m (úžin) (eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal)
Sardinian: chena f, cena f
Scottish Gaelic: dìnnear f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: вѐчера f (eaten in the evening)
Roman: vèčera (sh) f (eaten in the evening)
Sicilian: cena (scn) f
Sidamo: hurbaate
Slovak: večera f (eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal)
Slovene: večerja (sl) f, južina f (eaten in the evening)
Spanish: cena (es) f
Swedish: middag (sv) c
Tagalog: hapunan
Tocharian B: yesti
Turkish: akşam yemeği (tr)
Ukrainian: вече́ря f (večérja) (eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal)
Vietnamese: bữa trưa (eaten at midday), bữa chiều (eaten in the evening), bữa tối (eaten in the evening)
Walloon: soper (wa) m (eaten in the evening, but the midday meal is the main meal)
Yiddish: וועטשערע‎ f (vetshere)
Yola: dineare
Zazaki: şami (diq) f, sani f

a meal given to an animal

Bashkir: аҙыҡ (aðıq)
Bulgarian: хра́нене (bg) n (hránene)
Catalan: menjar (ca) m
Czech: žrádlo (cs) n, krmení n, šlichta (cs) f (of soup consistence)
Dutch: voer (nl)
Finnish: ruoka (fi)
German: Futter (de) n
Greek: τροφή (el) f (trofí)
Lithuanian: ėdalas m, jovalas m (of soup consistence)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: амьтны хоол (amʹtny xool)
Nahuatl: tlemōlli īca yōlcatl
Portuguese: ração (pt) f
Romanian: nutreț (ro) n
Russian: еда́ (ru) f (jedá), корм (ru) m (korm)
Slovene: , hrana (sl)

midday meal

Arabic: غَدَاء‎ m (ḡadāʔ)
Egyptian Arabic: غدا‎ (ġáda)
Hijazi Arabic: غدا‎ m (ġada)
Armenian: ճաշ (hy) (čaš)
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܟܵܘܸܬܪܵܐ‎ (kawitra)
Azerbaijani: nahar (az), abed (Russianism), günorta yeməyi
Bashkir: төшкө аш (töşkö aş)
Belarusian: абе́д m (abjéd)
Bengali: হাজরি (bn) (hazri), বড় হাজরি (bn) (bôṛô hazri)
Bulgarian: о́бед (bg) m (óbed)
Catalan: dinar (ca) m
Chinese:
Gan: 昼飯／昼饭, 昼饭 (jiu⁴ fan⁵)
Mandarin: 午飯／午饭 (zh) (wǔfàn), 午餐 (zh) (wǔcān)
Czech: oběd (cs) m
Danish: middag (da)
Dutch: middageten (nl) n, middagmaaltijd (nl) m, middagmaal (nl) n, lunch (nl) m
Finnish: lounas (fi), päivällinen (fi)
French: déjeuner (fr) m, dîner (fr) (Belgium, Cajun, Swiss, Canadian, Louisiana and Romandy French)
Galician: xantar (gl) m
Georgian: სადილი (sadili)
German: Mittagessen (de) n
Greek: γεύμα (el) n (gévma), μεσημεριανό (el) n (mesimerianó)
Hebrew: ארוחת צהריים \\ אֲרוּחַת צָהֳרַיִם‎ (he) f (arukhát tsohoráyim)
Hindi: दावत (hi) f (dāvat), भोजन (hi) m (bhojan), भोज (hi) m (bhoj), खाना (hi) m (khānā)
Hungarian: ebéd (hu)
Irish: dinnéar m
Italian: pranzo (it) m
Japanese: 昼食 (ja) (ちゅうしょく, chūshoku), 昼飯 (ja) (ひるめし, hirumeshi)
Khmer: អាហារថ្ងៃត្រង់ (ʼaahaa thngay trɑng), បាយថ្ងៃត្រង់ (baay thngay trɑng)
Korean: 점심(點心) (ko) (jeomsim)
Latvian: pusdienas f pl
Lithuanian: pietūs (lt) m pl
Macedonian: ручек m (ruček)
Maltese: pranzu (mt) m
Maori: tina
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: өдрийн хоол (ödriin xool), үдийн хоол (üdiin xool)
Occitan: dinnar (oc) m
Polish: obiad (pl) m
Portuguese: almoço (pt) m
Romanian: prânz (ro) n
Russian: обе́д (ru) m (obéd)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ручак m, обед m
Roman: ručak (sh) m, obed m
Slovak: obed (sk) m
Slovene: kosilo (sl) n, obed m
Spanish: almuerzo (es) m
Ukrainian: обі́д m (obíd)

a formal meal

Armenian: ճաշ (hy) (čaš)
Bengali: হাজরি (bn) (hazri), বড় হাজরি (bn) (bôṛô hazri), দাওয়াত (bn) (daoyat)
Bulgarian: банке́т (bg) m (bankét)
Catalan: banquet (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 正餐 (zh) (zhèngcān)
Czech: oběd (cs) m, večeře (cs) f
Dutch: diner n
Finnish: illallinen (fi), päivällinen (fi)
Galician: xantar (gl)
Greek: (taking place in noon) γεύμα (el) n (gévma), (taking place in late afternoon) δείπνο (el) n (deípno)
Hindi: दावत (hi) f (dāvat), भोजन (hi) m (bhojan), भोज (hi) m (bhoj)
Irish: dinnéar m
Japanese: 正餐 (ja) (せいさん, seisan)
Mongolian: цайллага (mn) (cajllaga), дайллага (mn) (dajllaga)
Polish: bankiet (pl) m
Portuguese: prândio m, banquete (pt) m
Romanian: banchet (ro) n, dineu (ro) n
Russian: обе́д (ru) m (obéd), банке́т (ru) m (bankét), у́жин (ru) m (úžin)
Slovene: večerja (sl) f, banket m
Spanish: banquete (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Breton: ^{(please verify)} koan (br) f
Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} dinar, ^{(please verify)} cena (ia)
Korean: ^{(please verify)} 정 식사 (jeong siksa)
Sindhi: ^{(please verify)} سانجھاندو‎ (sd) m (sanjhando)
Spanish: ^{(please verify)} cena (es) f

Verb

dinner (third-person singular simple present dinners, present participle dinnering, simple past and past participle dinnered)

(intransitive) To eat a dinner; to dine.
- 2014, Caroline Akervik, White Pine, White Bear Lake, MN: Melange Books, Chapter 6, p. 57,
  Once I was geared up, I joined him on the wide, flat seat of the sled which was loaded up with hot food for the jacks who were dinnering out since they worked a forty far from the camp.
(transitive) To provide (someone) with a dinner; to dine.
- 1887, Caroline Emily Cameron, A Devout Lover, London: F.V. White & Co., Volume 1, Chapter 11, p. 181,
  She had taken her about to concerts and exhibitions—she had dinnered her at the Colonies, and suppered her at the New Club.
- 2004, Colm Tóibín, The Master, New York: Scribner, Chapter Two, p. 26,
  ‘The Irish were awful anyway,’ Lady Wolseley said, ‘and their not attending the season should be greeted with relief. The dreary matrons dragging their dreary daughters about the place and dinnering up every possible partner for them. The truth is that no one wants to marry their daughters, no one at all.’

Synonyms

(eat a dinner): dine (formal)

Translations

eat dinner

Hungarian: vacsorázik (hu), megvacsorázik (hu)

provide someone with a dinner

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Maori: tina
Russian: у́жинать (ru) (úžinatʹ)
Slovene: večerjati (sl), kositi (sl), obedovati
Spanish: cenar (es)
Swedish: äta middag

Anagrams

endrin, in dern

Chinese

Alternative forms

癲拿／癫拿 (din1 naa4, “dinner”)

Etymology

From English dinner.

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): din¹ naa⁴, din¹ naa²

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: din¹ naa⁴, din¹ naa²
  - Yale: dīn nàh, dīn ná
  - Cantonese Pinyin: din¹ naa⁴, din¹ naa²
  - Guangdong Romanization: din¹ na⁴, din¹ na²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tiːn⁵⁵ naː²¹/, /tiːn⁵⁵ naː³⁵/

Noun

dinner

(Hong Kong Cantonese) dinner (evening meal; formal meal at special occasion) (Classifier: 個／个 c; 餐 c)

Related terms

lunch