entry
tiffin
/ˈtɪfɪn/A light meal, snack, or midday luncheon
From English tiff (A small drink or sip).
Word Ancestry
The trail begins with a wonderfully small gesture: an English speaker taking a little sip, or “tiffing.” By 1727, tiff had also become a noun for an outburst of temper, a curious second life that may have arisen from the sound of a tiny puff of air or gas. The exact origin is uncertain; lexicographers have treated it as possibly dialectal and imitative rather than forcing it into a respectable Latin or Germanic family tree. In colonial India, tiffing apparently acquired the form tiffin and broadened from a nibble or drink into an actual meal—sometimes afternoon tea, sometimes lunch, and sometimes merely a snack between meals. The memorable twist is that a word born around something tiny now names a meal whose size depends entirely on where in India you order it: tiffin can be a modest snack or a perfectly serious lunch.
The Story
The trail begins with a wonderfully small gesture: an English speaker taking a little sip, or “tiffing.” By 1727, tiff had also become a noun for an outburst of temper, a curious second life that may have arisen from the sound of a tiny puff of air or gas. The exact origin is uncertain; lexicographers have treated it as possibly dialectal and imitative rather than forcing it into a respectable Latin or Germanic family tree. In colonial India, tiffing apparently acquired the form tiffin and broadened from a nibble or drink into an actual meal—sometimes afternoon tea, sometimes lunch, and sometimes merely a snack between meals. The memorable twist is that a word born around something tiny now names a meal whose size depends entirely on where in India you order it: tiffin can be a modest snack or a perfectly serious lunch.
Modern Usage
British usage for lunch or a snack, especially in a military context
Kin & Kindred
From 'tiff'·A small drink or sip; later, a petty quarrel
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary