What is the origin of the word breakfast?

A "fast", as you know, is a period of time where you don't eat. Most often, we relate that to extended periods of time -- Ghandi and all that business. But for us regular joes, the period of time when we don't eat is nighttime. We might be dreaming of eating, but by the most strict definition, we're "fasting" while we sleep.

And when do we break that fast? In the morning, of course. Breakfast!

Unfortunately in today's society, I'm afraid people interpret "fast" as how speedily they can wolf down their McMuffins or last nights pizza before they leave for work.

no no no this is an urban myth, this is a well know fact. Breakfast was invented by Mr John Breakfast probably of London in an earlier century. It's true.

"The English word derives from the idea of breaking the involuntary fast of sleep, thus signifying the first meal eaten after awakening. It conveys the exact literal meaning of the Vulgar Latin word disjejunare, which evolved via the Old French disner (Modern French: dîner) to become the English word dinner[1]."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast

It comes from Middle English "breken", to break
break, + "faste", from Old Norse fasta, to fast

As the first meal of the day, Breakfast "breaks the fast" (fast meaning a time during which one abstains). The word came into use in the 1400s according to the Online Etymological Dictionary.

In the old English , they'd say at night we fasted - didn't eat - so when you eat in the morning - You are 'breaking your fast" eventually it was shortened to simply 'Breakfast'.

Talk about misinformation! The word Breakfast comes from the two words themselves. Break and Fast! It was the 'fast break' farmers took after caring for their animals at the start of each day.

The men of the house left for the barn at 5 or 6 AM to deal with the animals, collect the eggs, etc. The women of the house started the wood or coal stove in the kitchen, heated water, made coffee, and cooked the morning grub...oatmeal, eggs, meat and coffee.

The men returned to the house for their 'fast break' to eat and go back to work farming the land. There was no talk at this meal. They ate very quickly and left for the fields. Breakfast lasted no more than 10 minutes. This was their 'fast break' or as it has become known.....breakfast!

BTW, you're not fasting when you're asleep. Not eating for 8 or 10 hours is not fasting! To use Jay Leno's line, "Just how fat and lazy is this country becoming when people think they're fasting if they stop eating while asleep at night! lol

Here is a site you might look at concerning 'Fasting" for your health.

http://drbenkim.com/fasting.html