SC - In a pasta making mood

[Stefan li Rous]

>How period is "luncheon"? Although I like the tern "Tea" in granting
>the modern mind's view of a light lunch with lots of gossip and
>elegance. "Brunch" implies a heartier but long-duration meal.
>"Luncheon" also implies light dining and conversation but not as
>elegant.
>
>Gunthar

Luncheon is a more formal word, with a longer history of use than 
bruch, and to me implies something much more elegant. A luncheon, at 
least earlier in the 20th century, was often a very eleborate affair. 
It is the mid-day meal, whence "lunch" is derived, that is eaten 
after breakfast any day of the week. One often had to dress almost 
semi-formally to attend a luncheon. (my dictionary mentions that a 
luncheon is "esp.a formal lunch held in connection with a club 
meetig, convention, or other special occasion.") Also, a luncheon can 
happen any day of the week.

It is a derivation or variation of the Middle English term 
"nuncheon", which originally meant a noon drink.

Brunch is a more recent word - mid-20th c. i think - a combo of 
BR-eakfast and l-UNCH, a neologism (well, at the time is was 
invented), and a highly informal term. Brunches are eaten when one 
skips breakfast because one sleeps late, so it is a meal eaten in 
very late morning, around lunch time, and often consisting of 
breakfast foods, like pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, and 
sometimes things like Eggs Benedict - and variations - along with 
some more mid-day kinds of things. Because of this, brunch to me is a 
weekend thing.

So while luncheon isn't period, it is at least derived from a period 
word, while brunch is a recently invented informal term.

Anahita
sorry i don't have OED access at home, so if someone has citations 
for use with dates....