middag

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• mirrag (Cape Afrikaans)

Etymology

From Dutch middag, from Middle Dutch middach.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmə.daχ/

Noun

middag (plural middae)

1. An afternoon.
2. midday, noon

Derived terms

• agtermiddag
• laatmiddag
• middagete
• middagkos

Danish

Etymology

From mid- (“middle”) +‎ dag (“day”). Compare Old Norse miðdagr, miðr dagr, English midday, Dutch middag, German Mittag.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmed̥a]

Noun

middag c (singular definite middagen, plural indefinite middage)

1. midday, noon (the time between ca. 11am and 1pm)
2. dinner, supper (the major meal of the day, normally served in the evening)

   Synonym: aftensmad

3. (rare, dated) lunch (especially in rural areas, where the major hot meal is served at noon)

   Synonym: frokost

4. dinner, banquet (a formal dinner with invited guests)

Inflection

Declension of middag

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	middag	middagen	middage	middagene
genitive	middags	middagens	middages	middagenes

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch middach. Equivalent to mid- +‎ dag.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪ.dɑx/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mid‧dag

Noun

middag m (plural middagen, diminutive middagje n)

1. midday, noon
2. (chiefly Netherlands) afternoon (period from 12 PM to 6 PM)

   Synonym: (Belgium) namiddag

3. (Suriname) afternoon and early evening (period from 12 PM to 7 PM)

Derived terms

• middageten
• middagmaal
• middagpauze
• middaguur
• namiddag
• voormiddag

Descendants

• Afrikaans: middag
• Jersey Dutch: míddāx
• Negerhollands: middag, meddag
• → Arawak: méndaka

See also

• (times of day) dagdeel; dageraad/ochtendschemering, zonsopgang/zonsopkomst, ochtend/morgen, voormiddag, middag, namiddag, avond, zonsondergang, avondschemering, nacht, middernacht

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse miðdagr, miðr dagr, from miðr (“middle”) and dagr (“day”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmɪd.dɑɡ/

Noun

middag m (definite singular middagen, indefinite plural middager, definite plural middagene)

1. dinner (main meal of the day)
2. noon, midday (around 12 noon)

Derived terms

• ettermiddag
• formiddag
• julemiddag
• middagsbord

References

• “middag” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse miðdagr, miðr dagr, from miðr (“middle”) and dagr (“day”).

Noun

middag m (plural middagen)

1. dinner (main meal of the day)
2. noon, midday (around 12 noon)

Derived terms

• ettermiddag
• formiddag, føremiddag
• julemiddag, jolemiddag
• middagsbord
• middagstid

References

• “middag” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish miþdagher, midhdagher, Old Norse miðdagr, miðr dagr, from miðr (“middle”) + dagr (“day”); synchronically, mid- +‎ dag (“day”).

Middag originally referred to the biggest meal of the day, which was eaten at noon, hence the name, and the meal eaten in the evening was kvällsmat or kvällsvard. After the Industrial Revolution, the time of the main meal of the day shifted to the evening, after work hours, and the word lunch was borrowed from English to denote the meal eaten around noon. Kvällsmat now commonly refers to a lighter supper (like sandwiches).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪda/
• (in careful speech) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪdɑːɡ/

Noun

middag c

1. midday, noon

   Synonyms: mitt på dagen, middagstid, klockan tolv, tolvtiden, tolvsnåret

2. (dated, dialectal) lunch
3. dinner

Usage notes

The expression mitt på dagen (“middle of the day”) is commonly used to refer to (around) noon, which avoids potential confusion with dinner (time).

Declension

Declension of middag
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	middag	middagen	middagar	middagarna
Genitive	middags	middagens	middagars	middagarnas

Derived terms

• middagstid

References

• middag in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• middag in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• “Middag”, in Språket i P1‎^[1], Sveriges Radio, 9 November 2009, retrieved 15 May 2020