Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Dinner and supper are both used to refer to the main meal of the day, and especially to that meal as eaten in the evening. Supper is used especially when the meal is an informal one eaten at home, while dinner tends to be the term chosen when the meal is more formal.
The terms “supper” and “dinner” can be used pretty interchangeably, but “dinner” is typically used more often. Regardless, if someone says one or the other, most people will know they ...
Dinner was originally used to indicate the main meal of the day, while supper referred to a lighter meal eaten later. Today, dinner refers to the evening meal, while supper may refer to lighter or more informal meals. Knowing the difference ensures that you get fed.
Ask 10 Southerners the difference between "dinner" and "supper" and you'll get 10 different answers. Some folks feel that dinner is more formal, while supper is more social, but it turns out there's a little more to it than that.
So, while both supper and dinner can happen in the evening, dinner is usually the bigger, main meal of the day, and supper is a smaller, more casual meal. Historically, ‘dinner’ referred to the main meal served around the lunch hour, suited to the farming society’s needs.
The main difference between supper and dinner lies in the time they are served and the formality associated with each meal. Supper typically refers to a light evening meal, served later in the evening and often more casual in nature.
In parts of the US, supper and dinner are used interchangeably to refer to the evening meal, but they’re not exactly synonyms. What do these words mean? Dinner, which dates back to the late 1200s, refers to the main meal of the day—historically, a meal served midday for many peoples.
In the United States, the words supper and dinner mean “evening meal,” but historically, people used them for separate meanings. For instance, supper is traditionally a light evening meal or a post-dinner snack, while dinner is the formal, main meal of the day.
Though you can use supper or dinner synonymously for your evening meal, the terms hold distinct meanings. Dinner typically holds a more serious connotation and refers to a heavy, full meal, while supper is often used more informally and refers to a lighter meal eaten at home.
Dinner and supper really do mean different things—or at least they used to. Historically, the word dinner was associated with the largest meal of the day, regardless of whether it was served...