Dinner usually refers to the most significant and important meal of the day, which can be the noon or the evening meal. However, the term "dinner" can have many different meanings depending on the culture; it may mean a meal of any size eaten at any time of day. Historically, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still sometimes used for a noontime meal, particularly if it is a large or main meal. The meaning as the evening meal, generally the largest of the day, is becoming standard in many parts of the English-speaking world.

Etymology

The word is from the Old French (c. 1300) disner, meaning "breakfast", from the stem of Gallo-Romance desjunare ("to break one's fast"), from Latin dis- (which indicates the opposite of an action) + Late Latin ieiunare ("to fast"), from Latin ieiunus ("fasting, hungry"). The Romanian word dejun and the French déjeuner retain this etymology and to some extent the meaning (whereas the Spanish word desayuno and Portuguese desjejum are related but are exclusively used for breakfast). Eventually, the term shifted to referring to the heavy main meal of the day, even if it had been preceded by a breakfast meal (or even both breakfast and lunch).

Dinner is a 2002 play by the British dramatist Moira Buffini. It premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London on 18 October 2002.

Productions

Original Production

It was first performed at the Royal National Theatre in 2002, with the following cast:

The director was Fiona Buffini, and the designer was Rachel Blues.

It was revived at Wyndham's Theatre in December 2003, with Adrian Lukis as Hal, Flora Montgomery as Siân, Paul Kaye as Mike and Paul Sirr as The Waiter; all other parts were played by the original cast.

Synopsis

Paige Janssen invites some friends over to dinner to mark the publication of a book, Beyond Belief, written by her husband, Lars. A succession of unusual courses, interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest, lead to some surprising revelations and, eventually, to death.

See also

References

Dinner may refer to the most significant and important meal of the day, which can be the noon or the evening meal.

Dinner may also refer to:

See also