A formal meal served in the middle of the day.
"The hotel hosted a lavish luncheon featuring caviar and champagne for its distinguished guests."
"They decided to have their midday luncheon at the nearby cafe."
Usage: Use "lunch" instead when referring to an informal midday meal, as "luncheon" implies a more formal occasion or event. Avoid using "luncheon" for casual daily meals unless emphasizing the formality of the setting.
To eat luncheon.
"We gathered at the garden pavilion to eat luncheon together."
The word luncheon likely comes from an earlier form meaning "small chunk," possibly related to the modern word lunch. It may also have been influenced by nuncheon, which refers to a light afternoon snack, though it remains unclear whether lunch or luncheon was originally the shorter version.