Etymologically
Log in

dîner

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:03. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /di.ne/[1]

Forms

dîner[1] Old French disner; also digner, deigner; the spelling dîner dates from the 17th century.[2][3][4][5] The noun dîner m (plural dîners) is the infinitive used as a noun.[1][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French disner, inherited from Late Latin disieiūnō (“to break one's fast”), reduced by haplology to *disiūnō.[2][6][4][7] The Latin verb is formed from dis- and iēiūnō (“to fast”), from iēiūnus (“fasting”).[1] The same Latin verb gave déjeuner: “dîner” comes from the forms stressed on the ending (“disn-”), “déjeuner” from those stressed on the stem, Medieval Latin has “disnare” in the 9th century.[6][2] The ⟨i⟩ is not well explained.[2]

Cognate with Occitan dinar, Catalan dinar and Italian desinare.[5] Littré reports older explanations from Ancient Greek δειπνέω (deipnéō, “to dine”) or from the grace “dignare, domine”, which he rejects.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Couronnement de Louis (about 1131) the knights ont disné in the morning: the verb first meant to take the first meal of the day.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

As mealtimes moved later, the main meal came to be taken at midday and dîner meant to eat it (1532, Rabelais), while déjeuner became a light morning meal.[2][6] Before 1747 Lesage uses it for the evening meal, a use that spread in the 19th century at the expense of souper, which was kept for a late meal.[2][6][3] The noun dîner (before 1150) followed the same course and means the evening meal from 1814.[6]

In Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec dîner is still the midday meal, and souper the evening one.[6][1] The proverb qui dort dîne means that sleep makes one forget hunger.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1131 – Disner “to breakfast”, Couronnement de Louis.[2]
  • Before 1150 – The noun disner.[6]
  • 1532 – To take the midday meal, Rabelais.[2]
  • 17th century – The spelling dîner.[3]
  • Before 1747 – The evening meal, Lesage.[2]
  • 1814 – The noun “evening meal”.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To have dinner, to eat the evening meal: nous dînons à huit heures, dîner en ville.[8][1]
  2. (Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec; dated) To have lunch, the midday meal.[8][6]
  3. (obsolete) To take the first meal of the day.[2][3]

Noun

  1. Dinner, the evening meal; a dinner party: un dîner d'affaires, dîner aux chandelles.[8][1]
  2. (Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, Africa) Lunch, the midday meal.[1][8]
  3. The dishes served at this meal.[8][6]

Word family

  • dînette
  • dînée
  • dîneur
  • dînatoire
  • après-dîner

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 94b
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert