dinner
part of speech
noun (a dinner, dinners; dinner — uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) Dinner is the main meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening. tree →
2) In some parts of the UK, Ireland and Australia, dinner means the meal in the middle of the day (lunch), and the evening meal is «tea». tree →
3) A dinner is a formal party with a meal. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Here it means a simple meal, not a formal party. The Hebrew word is often taken to mean a modest portion or daily meal. Interpretation: The proverb teaches that a poor meal eaten in love is better than a rich feast eaten in hatred, so peace at home matters more than wealth. In the primary lessons: In everyday life, «dinner time» brings families together, and table manners matter: wash hands, wait until everyone has food, say please and thank you. At school in the UK «school dinners» and «dinner ladies» are the lunchtime meal and helpers. Phrases: «have dinner», «make dinner», «dinner is ready», «dinner party».
examples
- Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. (Writings PRO.15.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- What's for dinner tonight? tree →
- We have dinner at six o'clock. tree →
- Wash your hands before dinner. tree →
- Dad is making spaghetti for dinner. tree →
- I had school dinner today. tree →
- Grandma invited us to Sunday dinner. tree →
- Please set the table for dinner. tree →
- They went out for a birthday dinner. tree →
- For dinner the Fox served soup. tree →
note
Usually no «a»: «have dinner», «after dinner»; but «a lovely dinner» with an adjective. Spelled with double n; do not confuse with «diner» (a person eating, or a small US restaurant). Meal words differ by country: breakfast, lunch/dinner, tea/dinner/supper.
In the corpora
- Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
- In Melbourne, Mum smiles at Dad over dinner and says, "We've got some news.
- Scene: at Christmas dinner in Leeds, Grandad and Auntie Jo argue about the government until the gravy goes cold.
- Snap a chicken bone from Sunday dinner and it is hollow, with thin struts inside like a bridge, light but strong.
- A dinner plate is a plant puzzle.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «dinner» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.