The evening meal, typically lighter than dinner.
From Old French 'souper' meaning to sup or sip, related to 'soupe' (soup). Originally, supper was literally 'souping' - having a light meal of broth or soup in the evening after the main meal of the day (dinner) was eaten at midday. As work patterns changed and dinner moved to evening, supper became the lighter meal that followed, but it kept the name meaning 'soup time.'
Supper was originally 'soup time' - a light evening meal of broth after people had eaten their main meal at noon. The word preserves a time when most people ate their biggest meal in the middle of the day and ended with something simple and liquid, the opposite of our modern eating patterns.
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