What Is the Difference Between Supper and Dinner?

Did you know that the words- dinner and supper- used in our daily lives to refer to the last meal of the day, are actually different? Don't you think this is quite intriguing?

The two terms that are often used interchangeably to refer to the last meal of the day actually mean entirely different things. In this article, we will look at the difference between supper and dinner. 

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Difference between supper and dinner

The word “dinner” comes from the French word “disner.” Traditionally speaking, it meant breakfast. 

Yes, you read it right. In the past, the word “dinner” actually meant breakfast. 

In the 18th and 19th centuries, dinner was referred to as the first meal of the day and was typically consumed around midday. It was often the largest and most significant meal of the day, providing sustenance for the long hours of physical labour that followed.

According to Reader’s Digest, dinner actually did not refer to a specific time; it just meant the heaviest and most important meal of the day.

Dictionary.com also defines dinner as the principal meal of the day eaten during the noon hour. Since dinner was consumed midday, a small and lighter meal was consumed later in the evening. This small meal came to be known as “supper.”

The word “supper" also comes from the French language. It stems from the word “souper” which meant a meal eaten in the evening. 

So, in the past, dinner used to refer to the meal consumed around midday, whereas supper meant the meal consumed in the evening. 

With the passage of time and the developments in the industrial sector, the eating habits of people changed. They began adding more meals to their day and started eating before the traditional “dinner” at noon. 

The main meal of the day steadily shifted later and later until it was close to the hour when people used to have supper, which was at night.

With the cultural shift in modern times, people began to eat the biggest meal in the evening and started calling it dinner, the first meal of the day became breakfast, and the meal eaten midday became lunch. The word "supper" is still used in many places where agriculture and farming are prominent. 

While the distinction between supper and dinner now varies depending on culture and region, a general understanding of their differences can help in understanding their usage in different contexts. We hope that this article was an interesting read for you. Tell us what you think about this and what your favourite meal of the day is.

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