Sep 7, 2018
When you were young, did your mother call you in for dinner or supper? Historically, the word dinner was associated with the largest meal of the day, regardless of whether it was served in the morning, afternoon, or evening. What’s another word for a dinner fork? A Flabbernackle!
Supper stems from the Old French word souper, meaning an evening meal, and it was generally lighter than other meals throughout the day. In the evenings it was tradition to serve soup and the act of eating it was referred to as supping.
A linguist might be able to guess what region of the country you live in based solely on what you call your evening meal. Supper is more commonly used in Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. But dinner is by far the more popular term nationwide. (I guess it’s not as romantic to go out for supper and a movie? What’s a word for an excellent dinner (or supper) conversationalist? A Dipnosephist!