tiffin

¹

[ tif-in ]

noun

1. a light midday meal; lunch

verb (used without object)

1. to eat a light midday meal.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide a light meal for; serve lunch to.

Tiffin

²

[ tif-in ]

noun

1. a city in N Ohio.

tiffin

/ ˈtɪfɪn /

noun

1. (in India) a light meal, esp one taken at midday

Word History and Origins

Origin of tiffin¹

First recorded in 1800–05; variant of tiffing (unattested), equivalent to tiff (obsolete) “to sip, drink, snack between meals” + -ing ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tiffin¹

C18: probably from obsolete tiffing, from tiff to sip

Example Sentences

An improvised explosive device placed inside a tiffin box was believed responsible, the state’s top police officer, Sheik Darvesh Saheb, said.

From Seattle Times

With her mother's help and recipes, the teenager started cooking and selling 35 tiffin boxes of food a day to office workers.

From BBC

He found a hawker to sell his necklaces and earrings in plastic tiffin boxes on a street full of cheap-jewelry sellers.

From New York Times

On those afternoons, my own untouched tiffin would return home on the back of the tiffinwala’s bicycle.

From Washington Post

In it, Naik writes about dishes inspired by her global travels — but often anchored in her own South Asian heritage — that are fit to pack into a tiffin, an Indian lunch box.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• light meal