There's Actually a Difference Between Dinner and Supper

Dictionary.com confirms, “dinner” doesn't necessarily refer to a specific time of day. It simply means the main meal of the day. “Supper,” ... Share Save Saved ShareonFacebook SaveonPinterest Tweetthis Email Next Skiptomaincontent TheHealthy Food Home Humor Knowledge Holidays Subscribe RD.COMKnowledgeGrammar&Spelling Yes,There’sActuallyaDifferenceBetweentheTerms“Dinner”and“Supper” BrittanyGibsonUpdated:Jun.18,2021 Pressmaster/Shutterstock Ifyourgrandparentsorparentsusedtheterm"supper,"there'sagoodchanceyourancestorswerefarmers. Theterms“supper”and“dinner”canbeusedprettyinterchangeably,but“dinner”istypicallyusedmoreoften.Regardless,ifsomeonesaysoneortheother,mostpeoplewillknowthey’rereferringtothelastmealoftheday.Butwecameacrosssomeshockingnews:they’renotthesamethingafterall—andifyourgrandparentsorparentsusedtheterm“supper,”there’sagoodchanceyourancestorswerefarmers. “[Inthe18thandearly19thcenturies,]Americansregularlyatealightsupperastheireveningmealbecausetheywereeatingdinner—thebiggestmealoftheday—aroundnoon,” foodhistorian HelenZoeVeit toldNPR.Thepurposeofeatingtheirbiggestmealatnoontimewassofarmerswouldhavemorestrengthandenergytogetthroughtherestoftheirworkday,accordingtotheEnglishLanguage&UsageStackExchange.Dictionary.comconfirms,“dinner”doesn’tnecessarilyrefertoaspecifictimeofday.Itsimplymeansthemainmealoftheday.“Supper,”however,stemsfromtheOldFrenchword“souper,”meaning“eveningmeal.”Don’tmissthese 15otherwordsthatusedtohavecompletelydifferentmeanings. Sowhatchanged?EatingthebiggestmealofthedayaroundnoonstartedtobecomeathingofthepastwhenmoreAmericansbeganworkingawayfromtheirhomesandfarms.“Theycouldn’treadilyreturnhometocookandeatinthemiddleoftheday,”saysVeti.Andso,moreandmorepeopleshiftedtheirmainmealofthedaytotheevening,whentheycouldspendmoretimeenjoyingtheirfoodandspendingtimewiththeirfamily.Checkoutmorecommonpairsofwordsthateveryoneconfuses. Today,youmightnoticethattheterm“supper”ismorecommonlyusedinSouthernandMidwesternstates,probablyduetothoseregionshavingagreaterrelianceonagriculturethanNorthernstatesandthushavingmoreancestorswhowerefarmers.Thewayyousaytheseother9wordswilltelluswhereyou’refrom,too. Sources NPR:“HowManyDailyMealsDidWeOnceEat?” StackExchange:“‘Lunch’vs.‘dinner’vs.‘supper’—timesandmeanings?” Dictionary.com:“Suppervs.Dinner” rd.com70Words(andPhrases)You'reProbablyUsingAllWrong iStock/squaredpixels11WaystoImproveYourVocabularyinJustOneDay PHENPHAYOM/ShutterstockTheSurprisingMeaningBehindThese8ReallyWeirdWordsPopularVideosⓘ OriginallyPublished:November30,2020 BrittanyGibson BrittanyGibsonisaregularcontributortoRD.com’sculture,food,health,andtravelsections.ShewaspreviouslyaneditorialinternforRD.comandWestchesterMagazine.HerarticleshaveappearedonBuzzfeed,BusinessInsider,AOL,Yahoo,andMSN,amongothersites.SheearnedaBAinEnglishfromtheUniversityofConnecticut NowTrending I’maShootingSurvivor—andIAmLookingforMoreThanJust“ThoughtsandPrayers” 30FancyWordsThatWillMakeYouSoundSmarter WhyDoWeSay“QuitColdTurkey”? Searchterms WearenolongersupportingIE(InternetExplorer)aswestrivetoprovidesiteexperiencesforbrowsersthatsupportnewwebstandardsandsecuritypractices. Werecommendouruserstoupdatethebrowser. GoogleChrome AppleSafari MozillaFirefox MicrosoftEdge Arts&EntertainmentMoreItems Books PersonalityType Quotes RoyalFamily Zodiac ALLARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Beauty&FashionMoreItems Clothing HairCare HairStyles Makeup Shoes&Accessories Skincare ALLBEAUTY&FASHION FoodMoreItems HealthyEating News&Advice Recipes ALLFOOD Holidays&Observances HomeMoreItems Cleaning Decor DIY Gardening Organizing PestControl Repair ALLHOME HumorMoreItems Cartoons FunnyStories&Photos Jokes ALLHUMOR JokesMoreItems SubmitYourJoke SubmitYourCartoon CornyJokes FunnyOne-Liners Knock-KnockJokes Riddles ALLJOKES KnowledgeMoreItems BrainGames Etiquette Facts Grammar&Spelling Psychology ALLKNOWLEDGE MoneyMoreItems Budgeting Deals Retirement Scams Spending Taxes ALLMONEY Pets&AnimalsMoreItems Cats Dogs ALLPETS&ANIMALS RelationshipsMoreItems Dating Friendships Marriage Parenting ALLRELATIONSHIPS TechMoreItems Internet PersonalTech ALLTECH TravelMoreItems Airlines AirportSecurity Packing&Accessories Vacations ALLTRAVEL TrueStoriesMoreItems HolidayStories InspiringStories LoveStories NicestPlaces SurvivalStories ALLTRUESTORIES Work&CareerMoreItems CareerPlanning SucceedingatWork ALLWORK&CAREER Videos Contests Shop Subscribe Newsletters AboutUs FollowUsMoreItems Facebook Pinterest Instagram Twitter