What does repast mean?
Repast means a meal, with a strong association with formal, ceremonial, or literary occasions rather than ordinary everyday eating. It can refer to the food and the occasion together: a wedding breakfast or a banquet might be described as a celebratory repast. The word sounds old-fashioned and dignified, so it is more likely to appear in historical writing, descriptions of formal hospitality, or deliberately traditional prose than in casual conversation. Although meal is its clearest modern synonym, repast can suggest a more substantial or ceremonially significant gathering of people around food. In general use, “dinner,” “lunch,” and similar terms are more natural when the time of day is important. Repast should not be confused with repave, a verb meaning to resurface a road or path; the contrast in meaning and pronunciation reflects their different origins.
nounA meal, especially a formal or ceremonial meal. The word can also refer more generally to the act or occasion of eating.
- A meal, especially a formal or ceremonial one.
- The act or occasion of eating; a meal taken at a particular time.
"The guests assembled for a celebratory repast in the great hall."
"After the morning meeting, the delegates enjoyed a simple repast."
"The inn was a welcome place for rest and an evening repast."
The plural is used when referring to multiple meals or occasions of eating.
"The travelers shared simple repasts by lantern light."
Repast preserves the image of food refreshing the body: it comes from a word meaning “to feed again.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does repast come from?
Repast entered English from Old French repast, the past participle of repaitre, meaning “to feed.” Old French repaitre came from Latin repascere, formed from re-, meaning “again,” and pascere, meaning “to feed.” The same Latin root underlies pasture, an older word meaning feeding or grazing, although the two English words developed independently.
How repast is actually used
Repast is formal and literary. In everyday speech, meal is normally preferred, while dinner, lunch, or breakfast may be used when the time of day is relevant.
Easily confused with repast
Repast means a meal, whereas repave means to lay a new surface on a road or path.