luncheon
n. countablen. a formal lunch. You use this word for a midday meal that is more serious or official than a quick sandwich.
n. a formal midday meal, typically held in a professional or social context. Often carries a sense of ceremony or official purpose.
The mayor hosted a luncheon for the visiting guests.
The charity organized a fundraising luncheon to celebrate the successful completion of the new community center.
While a casual lunch might involve a quick bite at one's desk, a luncheon implies a seated affair with a fixed menu and a specific guest list.
From earlier lunching, of uncertain origin. Possibly derived from an earlier lumpchin, lumpchen, a diminutive of lump (“chunk, parcel of food, lunch”), thus related to lunch, q.v. It is unclear which came first: whether lunch is a shortening of luncheon, or whether luncheon is an augmentation of lunch. Possibly influenced by nuncheon (“light snack taken in the afternoon”). The "sausage" sense is probably a shortening of luncheon sausage or luncheon meat.
Often used in formal invitations or professional announcements; sounds dated or overly formal in casual conversation.