dinner

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

   dinner will be at 8

2. 2
   noun

   a party of people assembled to have dinner together

   guests should never be late to a dinner party

3. 3
   noun

   The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.

   1993, Mark Berry as "King Harkinian", a character in Animation Magic, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Philips Interactive Media (publ.). I wonder what's for dinner.

4. 4
   noun

   An evening meal.

   I had some friends to dinner two nights ago.

5. 5
   noun

   A midday meal (in a context in which the evening meal is called supper or tea).

   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.

6. 6
   noun

   A meal given to an animal.

   Give the dog its dinner.

7. 7
   noun

   A formal meal for many people eaten for a special occasion.

   My family gathers twice a year, namely at Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners.

8. 8
   verb

   To eat a dinner; to dine.

   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.

Etymology

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”).