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breakfast

n. · v.
US //ˈbɹɛkfəst// UK //bɹˈɛkfəst// break·fast
  1. 1 first meal of the day (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    the first meal you eat after waking up, usually in the morning.

    the first meal of the day, typically consumed during the morning hours.

    Example

    I usually have a quick breakfast of toast and coffee before I leave for work.

    Example

    Nutritionists often argue that a balanced breakfast provides the necessary glucose to maintain cognitive function throughout a demanding morning schedule.

  2. 2 type of food (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a meal made of foods usually eaten in the morning, like eggs or cereal, even if eaten later.

    a meal consisting of specific food items traditionally associated with the morning, regardless of the time of consumption.

    Example

    The café serves a full English breakfast all day long.

    Example

    The diner specialised in traditional breakfast fare, offering pancakes and smoked bacon well into the evening hours for late-shift workers.

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  1. 3 post-ceremony meal (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Formal

    a special meal served after a formal event like a wedding.

    a celebratory meal served following a religious or solemn ceremony, most commonly a wedding.

    Example

    After the church service, the guests gathered for a wedding breakfast at a nearby hotel.

    Example

    The wedding breakfast was held in the grand ballroom, featuring a three-course menu that reflected the couple's heritage.
  2. 4 to eat the morning meal (v.)
    C1 Advanced Literary Formal

    to eat your first meal of the day.

    to consume the morning meal; used as an intransitive verb.

    Example

    The guests breakfasted on the terrace while enjoying the view of the mountains.

    Example

    The travellers breakfasted early at the inn before continuing their journey across the pass.
Origin

Middle English brekefast, modelled on the Old English fæstenbryċe, a compound whose second element supplies the older word for the meal and whose first element explains what one does to it: bryċe is “breaking”, fæsten is “fast”. Thus the daily action of ending the overnight abstention from food.

The Dutch cognate breekvasten keeps the same logic, merely shifting the word order.

Word family
Idioms2 entries

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