"Jeuner" means "to fast." So they call lunch "dejeuner" because it really takes away the hunger. However breakfast in France is a very small meal (usually bread and coffee) so it's a "little" fast-breaker.
In dates back to Louis XIV who was pretty lazy. Before him every one had breakfast nice and early and lunch (déjeuner) at the normal noon time. However, Louis could never get up on time for breakfast and so the court was forced to hold another meal mid morning, before lunch. They called this their little lunch (petit déjeuner) which would be followed later by the main lunch.
In those days the king set the fashion and as he wasn't present for breakfast it soon fell out of fashion - people stopped having it altogether. After his reign the little lunch got earlier and earlier until it happened at breakfast time.
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"Jeuner" means "to fast." So they call lunch "dejeuner" because it really takes away the hunger. However breakfast in France is a very small meal (usually bread and coffee) so it's a "little" fast-breaker.
In dates back to Louis XIV who was pretty lazy. Before him every one had breakfast nice and early and lunch (déjeuner) at the normal noon time. However, Louis could never get up on time for breakfast and so the court was forced to hold another meal mid morning, before lunch. They called this their little lunch (petit déjeuner) which would be followed later by the main lunch.
In those days the king set the fashion and as he wasn't present for breakfast it soon fell out of fashion - people stopped having it altogether. After his reign the little lunch got earlier and earlier until it happened at breakfast time.
because dejeuner is lunch.
petit dejeuner is "little lunch"