Q: Why is food eaten in the afternoon called lunch and that eaten at night is called dinner?

A: Lunch has its origins in the Spanish word ‘Lonja’. Which means slice of bread or ham. Now lunch is used as shortened form of luncheon (a light meal). ‘Dinner’ is derived from old French word ‘Disner;’ originally meant for breakfast and later for lunch. The Shift from midday to evening began with fashionable classes.