Definition
The time of day when dinner is usually eaten, typically in the evening.
Etymology
Compound of 'dinner' (from Old French 'disner', meaning to dine) plus 'time'. Dinner originally meant the main meal eaten in the middle of the day, but shifted to evening in modern usage.
Kelly Says
Dinnertime shows how language tracks cultural change—in medieval times, 'dinner' was lunch-sized and eaten midday, then shifted to evening as work schedules changed! The word stayed the same, but dinnertime migrated across the clock.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
እንዴት እንደ ሰላም
en-dey en-de se-lam
ARالعربية
وقت العشاء
waqt al-'aṣāʾ
BNবাংলা
রাতের খাওয়ার সময়
ra-ter kha-owa-r sa-moy
CACatalà
hora del sopar
o-ra del so-par
CSČeština
čas večeře
chas ve-če-ře
DADansk
aftenmadtid
a-ften-mad-tid
DEDeutsch
Abendessenzeit
a-ben-de-ssen-zeit
ELΕλληνικά
ώρα του δείπνου
o-ra tou dei-p-nou
ESEspañol
hora de la cena
o-ra de la che-na
FAفارسی
زمان شام
zamān shahm
FISuomi
illallistaika
il-la-lis-tai-ka
FRFrançais
heure du dîner
ur du dee-neh
GUGU
રાત્રીના ભોજનનો સમય
ra-tri-na bho-jan-no sa-may
HAHA
lokacin abinci
lo-ka-cin ab-in-ci
HEעברית
זמן הארוחה
zman ha-a-ru-cha
HIहिन्दी
रात का खाना का समय
raat ka khaana ka samay
HUMagyar
vacsora ideje
vack-so-ra i-de-je
IDBahasa Indonesia
waktu makan malam
wa-ktu ma-kan mal-am
IGIG
oge ebere
o-ge e-be-re
ITItaliano
ora di cena
o-ra di che-na
JA日本語
夕食の時間
yuushoku no jikan
KKKK
тамақта уақыты
ta-ma-qta wa-ky-ti
KMKM
ពេលវេលា ម្ មា
pe-l-we-la m-ma
KO한국어
저녁 식사 시간
jeo-nyeok sig-sa si-gan
MRMR
सकाळी जेवणाचा वेळ
sa-ka-li je-va-na-cha ve-la
MSBahasa Melayu
masa makan malam
ma-sa ma-kan mal-am
NLNederlands
eetmoment
eet-mo-ment
NONorsk
middagstider
mi-d-dag-sti-der
PAPA
ਰਾਤ ਦਾ खाना ਦਾ ਸਮય
ra-at daa khaana daa sa-may
PLPolski
godzina kolacji
go-dzi-na ko-la-chi
PTPortuguês
hora do jantar
o-ra do jan-tar
RORomână
ora cinelor
o-ra ci-no-lor
RUРусский
время ужина
vremya uzhina
SVSvenska
middagstid
mi-d-dag-sti-d
SWKiswahili
saa chakula cha jioni
saa cha-ku-la cha jo-ni
TAதமிழ்
இரவு உணவு நேரம்
iravu uṇavu ne-ram
TEతెలుగు
రాత్రి భోజన సమయం
ra-tri bho-jan sa-mayam
THไทย
เวลาทานมื้อเย็น
we-la ta-an muu yen
TLTL
oras ng hapunan
o-ras ng ha-pu-nan
TRTürkçe
yemek vakti
ye-mek vak-ti
UKУкраїнська
час вечері
chas ve-che-ri
URاردو
ڈنر کا وقت
dinar ka waqt
VITiếng Việt
giờ ăn tối
gior an toi
ZUZU
sikhathi sokudla
si-kha-thi so-ku-dla
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Historically coded feminine—'dinner' in many Western contexts is associated with women's domestic labor and family management, reinforcing the privatization of women's work.
Inclusive Usage
Use neutrally when possible. If discussing gendered labor around meals, name it explicitly: 'meal preparation and service work,' often performed by women.
Inclusive Alternatives
["mealtime","eating time","meal preparation time"]
Empowerment Note
Women's culinary innovation and feeding work has been essential to cultural survival and community building, yet often goes unnamed and undervalued.