French word

déjeuner

Pronunciation

IPA/deʒœne/

Meaning

  • masculine nounlunch

Example

J'ai pris mon déjeuner à midi.

I had lunch at noon.

Illustration for déjeuner (lunch)

More examples

Nous avons eu un déjeuner d'affaires au restaurant.

We had a business lunch at the restaurant.

Core concept

A midday meal presented as the day's central pause, at home or in a restaurant.

Common phrases

  • prendre son déjeuner

    have one's lunch

  • un déjeuner d'affaires

    a business lunch

  • un déjeuner copieux

    a hearty lunch

Similar words

repas: Food eaten at one time or a complete meal.
dîner: An evening meal, usually the day's main meal.
petit-déjeuner: A morning meal eaten at the start of the day.
goûter: A small afternoon meal or snack.

Definition in French

Repas pris au milieu de la journée, en général entre midi et quatorze heures, souvent proposé sous la forme d'un « menu du déjeuner » dans les restaurants.

Word origin

French déjeuner is inherited through Old French from Late Latin disieiunare, whose meaning was to break a fast; French jeûner comes from the same family.

Usage tips

  • The phrase au déjeuner means at lunch, while the verb déjeuner normally appears without an article, as in Je déjeune à midi.

Other meanings

  • have lunchverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word