# dinner

Pronunciation: US say "DIN-ur" /ˈdɪnɚ/; UK say "DIN-uh" /ˈdɪnə/

## Noun

1. The main meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening.
   - Simple: The biggest meal of the day. Most people eat it in the evening.
   - _They invited their neighbors over for dinner on Friday._
   - _Dinner was served promptly at eight in the dining hall._
2. A formal meal held for many people to mark a special occasion.
   - Simple: A big, formal meal for many people on a special day.
   - _The awards dinner began with speeches from the founders._
   - _A formal dinner was held at the embassy for the visiting delegation._
3. The food provided or eaten at a dinner.
   - Simple: The food that people eat at a dinner.
   - _He carried the dinner through to the dining room on a large tray._
   - _Her dinner went cold while she finished the phone call._
4. A meal eaten at midday, used where the evening meal is called supper or tea.
   - Simple: The midday meal, in places where the evening meal is called supper or tea.
   - _In the village, dinner is served at one o'clock sharp._
   - _Workers broke for dinner at midday before returning to the mill._
5. A portion of food given to an animal as a meal.
   - Simple: A meal given to a pet or other animal.
   - _The farmer brought the pigs their dinner each evening._
   - _He set down the dog's dinner and stepped back._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To eat dinner; to have one's main or evening meal.
- (verb) To provide someone with a dinner; to host them for a meal.

## Origin

Latin dis- plus iēiūnō ("to fast"), together meaning "to break the fast", passed through Vulgar Latin to Old French disner, which first meant "breakfast" and later "lunch" (modern French dîner). Middle English took it as dyner.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dinner (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).