Etimology
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.
noun
dinner (countable and uncountable, plural dinners)
A midday meal (in a context in which the evening meal is called supper or tea).
The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.
An evening meal.
A meal given to an animal.
A formal meal for many people eaten for a special occasion.
(uncountable) The food provided or consumed at any such meal.
Examples
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.
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."
I want to cook dinner.Audio
Audio
I had some friends to dinner two nights ago.
Give the dog its dinner.
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.
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.
Related words
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
related terms
(combinatorial form): deipno-
(fear of): deipnophobia
(verb): dine
verb
dinner (third-person singular simple present dinners, present participle dinnering, simple past and past participle dinnered)
(intransitive) To eat a dinner; to dine.
(transitive) To provide (someone) with a dinner; to dine.
Examples
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.
She had taken her about to concerts and exhibitions—she had dinnered her at the Colonies, and suppered her at the New Club.
‘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.’
Related words
synonyms
(eat a dinner): dine (formal)