Where does “supper” come from?
Supper comes from Old French souper, from Latin supāre, ultimately from Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι meaning to look or observe.
supper (English): Food consumed before going to bed; Any meal eaten...
Definitions
- Food consumed before going to bed; Any meal eaten...
Ancestry of “supper”, step by step
supper traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English sup
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sup | To sip; to take a small amount of food or drink... |
| 2 | Middle English | soupen | to swallow; to drink |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | super | — |
| 4 | Old French | supe | soup |
| 5 | Old French | soupe | Alternative form of supe |
| 6 | Late Latin | suppa | sopped bread |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | supô | soup, broth |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sewH- | to bear; to give birth |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |
via French souper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | souper | dinner; a light meal eaten at night, after the... |
| 2 | Middle French | soupper | to have supper; supper |
| 3 | Old French | soper | supper; to supper; take supper |
via Middle English soper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | soper | supper |