dìnnear
The Gaelic word for dinner is dìnnear.
dìnnear refers to the evening meal.
Meaning: evening meal (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
dìnnear is primarily used in Scotland.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a specific dinner, such as in the phrase an dìnnear, the definite article an is used before the noun.
Did you know?
- The word dìnnear is a loanword from the French dîner, which reflects the historical influence of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France.
- While dìnnear is used, you might hear people use the word biadh instead, which literally translates to 'food' but is often used to mean 'a meal'.
- The word dìnnear belongs to a class of 'modern' Gaelic words that are often avoided by linguistic purists who prefer traditional Celtic roots over loanwords.
Examples in context
- Taro, tha an dìnnear deiseil.Taro, dinner is ready.This sentence is useful for announcing that the dìnnear is ready.Tatoeba #877946 by Cainntear, translation #901320 by CP
- An robh an dìnnear math agad?Was your dinner good?
- Tha an dìnnear deiseil a-nis.Dinner is ready now.
Example conversation
Catriona and Finlay are planning their evening.
- CatrionaA bheil thu ag iarraidh dìnnear a-noch?Do you want dinner tonight?
- FinlayTha, tha mi an t-acras!Yes, I am hungry!
- CatrionaDè airson dìnnear, Finlay?What for dinner, Finlay?
- FinlayBidh iasg math!Fish would be good!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dìnnear, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
