What does tiffin mean?
Tiffin is chiefly a British word for a light meal, particularly one consisting of curry and rice that is eaten at midday or carried in a small box. In modern British usage it can simply mean lunch, though the older sense of a tiffin box—a compact metal container with separate sections or tiers for food—remains familiar in South Asian English. The word arrived in English from British India during the 19th century through Hindi ṭifin, a term associated with a small food container. Applying the container's name to its contents helped “tiffin” develop from a particular lunch into a broader label for a light meal. The expression carries a nostalgic flavor and can evoke Indian railway travel, traditional curry houses, and colonial-era lunches. Today, it is more characteristic of British and South Asian English than of contemporary American English, where it may sound quaint or unfamiliar.
nounA light meal, especially a curry-and-rice meal traditionally carried in a small box. By extension, the word can also denote the small compartmented or tiered container used to carry food.
- A light meal, especially one consisting of curry and rice.
- A small metal box with compartments or tiers, used to carry food.
"We stopped for tiffin at a small curry house before catching the train."
"We stopped for tiffin at a small curry house before catching the train."
"Her steel tiffin came packed with two chapatis and a portion of dal."
Both the meal and container senses can be counted and pluralized.
"They packed separate tiffins for the journey."
In British India, “tiffin” named the box before it named the meal inside.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tiffin come from?
The word entered English from British India in the 19th century, usually traced to Hindi ṭifin, a term for a small food box. Its application to the food carried in such a box led naturally to the now-dominant sense of a light meal. The ultimate origin of the Hindi term is uncertain and should not be assigned more precisely without specialist evidence.
How tiffin is actually used
In contemporary British English, the word often sounds nostalgic or old-fashioned. In South Asian English it may be ordinary and can refer both to a meal and to a lunch carrier; it is uncommon in current American usage.