Afrikaans ete | ||
Albanian vakt | ||
Amharic ምግብ | ||
Arabic وجبة | ||
Armenian կերակուր | ||
Assamese আহাৰ | ||
Aymara manq'a | ||
Azerbaijani yemək | ||
Bambara dumuni | ||
Basque bazkari | ||
Belarusian ежа | ||
Bengali খাবার | ||
Bhojpuri खाना | ||
Bosnian obrok | ||
Bulgarian хранене | ||
Catalan menjar | ||
Cebuano pagkaon | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 膳食 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 膳食 | ||
Corsican pastu | ||
Croatian obrok | ||
Czech jídlo | ||
Danish måltid | ||
Dhivehi ކެއުން | ||
Dogri रुट्टी | ||
Dutch maaltijd | ||
English meal | ||
Esperanto manĝo | ||
Estonian sööki | ||
Ewe nuɖuɖu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) pagkain | ||
Finnish ateria | ||
French repas | ||
Frisian miel | ||
Galician comida | ||
Georgian კვება | ||
German mahlzeit | ||
Greek γεύμα | ||
Guarani tembi'u | ||
Gujarati ભોજન | ||
Haitian Creole repa | ||
Hausa abinci | ||
Hawaiian pāʻina ʻai | ||
Hebrew ארוחה | ||
Hindi भोजन | ||
Hmong pluas noj | ||
Hungarian étkezés | ||
Icelandic máltíð | ||
Igbo nri | ||
Ilocano makan | ||
Indonesian makan | ||
Irish béile | ||
Italian pasto | ||
Japanese お食事 | ||
Javanese dhahar | ||
Kannada .ಟ | ||
Kazakh тамақ | ||
Khmer អាហារ | ||
Kinyarwanda ifunguro | ||
Konkani जेवण | ||
Korean 식사 | ||
Krio it | ||
Kurdish xwarin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) ژەمە خواردن | ||
Kyrgyz тамак | ||
Lao ຄາບອາຫານ | ||
Latin prandium | ||
Latvian maltīti | ||
Lingala bilei | ||
Lithuanian patiekalas | ||
Luganda ekijjulo | ||
Luxembourgish iessen | ||
Macedonian оброк | ||
Maithili भोजन | ||
Malagasy sakafo | ||
Malay makan | ||
Malayalam ഭക്ഷണം | ||
Maltese ikla | ||
Maori kai | ||
Marathi जेवण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯆꯥꯛ | ||
Mizo chaw | ||
Mongolian хоол | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အစာ | ||
Nepali खाना | ||
Norwegian måltid | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) chakudya | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଭୋଜନ | ||
Oromo nyaata | ||
Pashto خواړه | ||
Persian وعده غذایی | ||
Polish posiłek | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) refeição | ||
Punjabi ਭੋਜਨ | ||
Quechua mikuna | ||
Romanian masă | ||
Russian еда | ||
Samoan taumafataga | ||
Sanskrit भोजन | ||
Scots Gaelic biadh | ||
Sepedi dijo | ||
Serbian оброк | ||
Sesotho lijo | ||
Shona kudya | ||
Sindhi کاڌو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) කෑම | ||
Slovak jedlo | ||
Slovenian obrok | ||
Somali cuntada | ||
Spanish comida | ||
Sundanese tuangeun | ||
Swahili chakula | ||
Swedish måltid | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) pagkain | ||
Tajik хӯрок | ||
Tamil உணவு | ||
Tatar ашау | ||
Telugu భోజనం | ||
Thai มื้ออาหาร | ||
Tigrinya ምግቢ | ||
Tsonga swakudya | ||
Turkish yemek | ||
Turkmen nahar | ||
Twi (Akan) aduane | ||
Ukrainian їжі | ||
Urdu کھانا | ||
Uyghur تاماق | ||
Uzbek ovqat | ||
Vietnamese bữa ăn | ||
Welsh pryd bwyd | ||
Xhosa isidlo | ||
Yiddish מאָלצייַט | ||
Yoruba ounjẹ | ||
Zulu isidlo |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "ete" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "eten", which also means "meal". In Afrikaans, "ete" can also be used to refer to a specific meal (e.g., "ontbyt" (breakfast), "middagete" (lunch) or "aandete" (dinner)) rather than a meal in general. |
| Albanian | In Albanian, the word "vakt" not only means "meal" but also "time" and "opportunity". |
| Amharic | "ምግብ" is also used to describe an allowance given to a person for sustenance or as a contribution towards general sustenance |
| Arabic | In the Quran, وجبة means "reward", while in the dialect of Yemen, it refers to a "night snack". |
| Azerbaijani | The word “yemək” also means “to eat” in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | The word "bazkari" may also refer to the act of eating or a snack between meals. |
| Belarusian | In Polish, the word "ежа" has an alternate meaning of "hedgehog". |
| Bengali | The Bengali word "খাবার" is also used to refer to the dishes served during a meal or a snack. |
| Bosnian | The word "obrok" is also used in Bosnian to refer to the amount of food that is given to an animal at one time. |
| Bulgarian | The word "хранене" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*kormъ", and also means "feeding" or "nourishment" in other Slavic languages. |
| Catalan | Catalan "menjar" is derived from Late Latin "manducare," meaning "chew" and cognate with English "mandible". |
| Cebuano | "Pagkaon" in Cebuano could mean a specific meal or the act of eating, while in Tagalog it means "food." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 膳食's '膳' is cognate with '饌' and '饌' can be used as a verb meaning 'to cook', 'to prepare good food' or 'to offer food'. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The term "膳食" can also refer to a specific type of hospital food. |
| Corsican | In addition to meaning 'meal', the Corsican word 'pastu' can also refer to the money or goods used to buy a meal. |
| Croatian | The word "obrok" in Croatian also refers to a feudal obligation to provide food and other goods to a lord. |
| Czech | "Jídlo" has a colloquial use in Czech, referring to a drug dose, in the context of drug addiction. |
| Danish | The Danish word 'måltid' originally meant 'something to eat' and comes from the Old Norse words 'mál' ('speech') and 'tid' ('time'), referring to the time when food was served or eaten. |
| Dutch | The word maaltijd derives from the Old Dutch word "mal," meaning "gathering," and "tijd," meaning "time." |
| Esperanto | Despite its similarity to the English word "meal," "manĝo" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ed- meaning "to eat." |
| Estonian | Sööki, derived from the Proto-Finnic word *söki "eating, consumption of food, food,", is also found in Karelian, Finnish, and Võro." |
| Finnish | The word 'ateria' in Finnish is derived from the Latin word 'ater', meaning 'black', and could also be a reference to the dark color of medieval rye bread. |
| French | The word "repas" in French derives from the Latin "repastus," meaning "food taken after fasting". |
| Frisian | In the Frisian language, "miel" can refer to the English words "meal" as well as "mile," but the latter definition mainly applies to the Frisian language itself. |
| Galician | "Comida" in Galician derives from the Latin "comedia", meaning "performance" or "play". In some areas of Galicia, "comida" still refers to a shared meal with entertainment. |
| Georgian | The word "კვება" in Georgian not only means "meal," but also refers to the act of feeding or nourishment. |
| German | The German word "Mahlzeit" has the same root as the words "meal" and "malt". |
| Greek | "Γεύμα" is derived from the ancient Greek word "γεύω", meaning "to taste". It also means "a lunch". |
| Gujarati | The term 'ભોજન' is often used in Gujarati to refer to the concept of 'food or nourishment' in a broader sense, transcending its simple denotation of 'meal'. |
| Haitian Creole | "Repa" comes from the Spanish word "reparar", meaning "to repair" or "to restore". |
| Hausa | The word "abinci" can also mean "food" or "sustenance" in Hausa. |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian culture, the word "pāʻina ʻai" can also refer to a ceremonial feast or special gathering specifically focused on food and dining. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "ארוחה" can also mean "event" or "experience," emphasizing the social and cultural aspects of eating. |
| Hindi | The word "भोजन" originates from the Sanskrit root "bhuj," meaning "to eat or enjoy." |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "pluas noj" can also refer to a specific meal that is eaten in the afternoon. |
| Hungarian | "Étkezés" is a homonym in Hungarian, it can also mean "diet" or "catering". |
| Icelandic | The word "máltíð" comes from the Old Norse word "máltíð", which means "time of speaking" or "mealtime". |
| Igbo | The term "nri" is often used in the Igbo language as a term of endearment for a child. |
| Indonesian | "Makan" in Indonesian can also refer to a type of dance, specifically a traditional Javanese ceremonial dance. |
| Irish | In Irish, the word "béile" can also refer to a place of sacrifice or assembly. |
| Italian | The word "pasto" in Italian can also refer to a type of pasture or grazing land. |
| Japanese | The word 「お食事」 originates from the honorific verb 「お召し上がる」 (to eat), meaning a meal eaten by someone of higher status. |
| Javanese | Despite spelling and pronunciation similarities, dhahar in Javanese (meal) is not related to the word dhar in Arabic (loss, damage). |
| Kannada | The word "ಟ" can mean "meal" in Kannada, but can also refer to a specific type of meal taken between 12 pm and 4 pm. |
| Kazakh | The word "тамақ" can also mean "food" or "cooking" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | "អាហារ" can also mean food, nourishment, or sustenance in general, as well as provisions or supplies. |
| Korean | "식사" means either a meal with rice ("밥"/"쌀") or just rice itself. |
| Kurdish | The word "xwarin" in Kurdish also means "to eat" or "to consume". |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "тамак" originally meant "food" or "dish" and later acquired the meaning of "meal". |
| Latin | "Prandium" also refers to a "sum of money for expenses" in Latin. |
| Latvian | Latvian "maltīte" derives from the Proto-Baltic term "maltis" and its cognate Latin "mola" also meaning "meal". |
| Lithuanian | The term "patiekalas" may possibly be related to the Old Prussian word "patykan" with the same meaning, and perhaps also related to the Slavic *potьčь "treat or repast". |
| Luxembourgish | In Luxembourgish, the word "Iessen" can also refer to a particular dish or a serving of food. |
| Macedonian | The word "оброк" comes from the Old Slavonic word "obrokъ", which had the meaning of "food" or "nourishment". |
| Malagasy | "SAKAFO" has no alternate meanings but may share its word root with the verb "SAKAFA" (to feed) |
| Malay | The Malay word "makan" can also refer to the process of eating, a gathering of people for a meal, or the food itself. |
| Malayalam | The word "ഭക്ഷണം" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भक्ष" meaning "to eat" and "अण" meaning "particle". It can also refer to food in general or to a specific dish or meal. |
| Maltese | "Ikla" is also a noun plural referring to a set of tools used for spinning, sewing, or weaving. |
| Maori | Maori word "kai" also means "food" or "eating," and derives from the Proto-Polynesian word "kai." |
| Marathi | The term "जेवण" derives from the Sanskrit word "यवन" meaning "barley," indicating its original association with barley-based dishes. |
| Mongolian | "Хоол" means both "food" and "meal" in Mongolian, due to the Mongolian custom of eating all of one's daily food at a single sitting |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "အစာ" also means "nourishment" or "sustenance" in Myanmar (Burmese). |
| Nepali | "खाना" also means "to eat" in Nepali. |
| Norwegian | The word "måltid" is derived from the Old Norse word "mál", meaning "time" or "turn", and "tid", meaning "hour". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Chakudya is also a term for 'money', particularly coins that are used in smaller transactions. |
| Pashto | The word "خواړه" (meal) is derived from the Persian word "خوردن" (to eat) and is related to the English word "chore" (a task). |
| Persian | In Persian, the word "وعده غذایی" ("meal") can also refer to a particular mealtime or the food served at that time. |
| Polish | The word "posiłek" derives from the Old Polish verb "posiłować" meaning "to strengthen" or "to nourish". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Refeição" comes from the Latin "reficere", meaning "to restore". |
| Punjabi | "ਭੋਜਨ" also means enjoyment and pleasure, derived from Sanskrit "bhoj" meaning to eat or enjoy. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "masă" is etymologically related to the Latin word "mensa," which also means "table" or "meal." |
| Russian | The Russian word for 'meal' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'ěsti', which means 'to eat'. |
| Samoan | While taumafa refers to lunch and a'afo refers to dinner, "taumafataga" can refer to any meal of the day |
| Scots Gaelic | "Biadh" (pronounced bee-ah) comes from the Old Norse word "bīða," and is cognate with English "bide." |
| Serbian | The word "оброк" can also refer to a feudal tax paid in kind, usually in the form of agricultural produce. |
| Sesotho | The word "lijo" comes from the Proto-Bantu verb "-dyu-," meaning "to eat." |
| Shona | Shona word for "meal" (kudya) also means "to grow" and "to be fat". |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "meals" is derived from the Sanskrit "bhojana" and has several alternate meanings, such as sustenance, nourishment, and the act of eating. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "කෑම" (meal) in Sinhala can also refer to a single dish or a snack. |
| Slovak | The word "jedlo" is derived from Proto-Slavic *ědlo that gave *jadlo in Slovak, and means "that which is edible". The word also means "poison" in certain idiomatic expressions. |
| Slovenian | "Obrok" in Slovenian can also mean "duty" or "fee", and it comes from the Slavic word "ob-rek", meaning "to speak around" or "to discuss". |
| Somali | The Somali word |
| Spanish | The word "comida" is derived from the Latin word "comedere", which means "to eat". |
| Sundanese | "Tuangeun" can also be used metaphorically to refer to the substance or essence of something, such as when we talk about "tuangeun budaya" (the essence of culture). |
| Swahili | In Swahili, chakula (meal) is related to kula (to eat), and comes from the verb chakula (to nourish). |
| Swedish | The word “måltid” originates from the Old Norse word “mál” meaning “speech” or “conversation”, as meals were often a time for gathering and talking. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Philippine dialects, the word 'pagkain' also means 'food'. |
| Tajik | The word “хӯрок” in Tajik also means “provisions” or “rations”. |
| Tamil | "உணவு" is also the Tamil word for "nourishment" and "food" |
| Telugu | The Telugu word "భోజనం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhojana" and also refers to the offering made to a god. |
| Thai | The word "มื้ออาหาร" (meal) in Thai can also refer to a specific time of day when a meal is typically eaten. |
| Turkish | In addition to "meal," "yemek" can also refer to "food" or "dish" in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | The word “їжі” is a cognate of the Russian word “еда” (“food”), both stemming from the Proto-Slavic word *ěs-ti (“to eat”). |
| Urdu | Derived from the Sanskrit “Khadana,” meaning “to eat or chew,” “Khana” in Urdu means a prepared meal, but can also refer to a single dish, snacks, or food preparations for an event. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek folklore, „ovqat” could also mean „poison" or the „evil eye" |
| Vietnamese | The word "bữa ăn" also means a "dish", especially a main course. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "pryd bwyd" comes from the words "pryd" (time) and "bwyd" (food), indicating the specific time of day for eating. |
| Xhosa | 'Isidlo' literally translates to 'that which is eaten' |
| Yiddish | "מאָלצייַט" (mahlzeit) means "meal" in Yiddish, and is also used as a greeting or farewell, similar to the German "Mahlzeit." |
| Yoruba | "Ounjẹ" also means "to eat" in Yoruba, derived from the verb "jẹ" meaning "to chew". |
| Zulu | In addition to "meal," "isidlo" also means "dish" in Zulu. |
| English | The word "meal" originally meant "a portion of food" and is related to the word "mill". |