Meaning & use
Burns Supper
Last updated
Meaning
proper nounproperScottish
a ceremonial Scottish dinner held to celebrate the poet Robert Burns, usually on or near his birthday, January 25.
Grammar: Capitalize both words: Burns Supper. It is countable: We attended three Burns Suppers this year.
Patterns
- attend a Burns Supper
- hold a Burns Supper
- at a Burns Supper
Every January, the Scottish society holds a Burns Supper with haggis and poetry.
She was invited to give the 'Address to a Haggis' at the Burns Supper.
The Burns Supper included traditional music and a speech about Robert Burns.
Word forms
| plural | Burns Suppers |
|---|
Common combinations
- hold a Burns Supper
- The community center will hold a Burns Supper on January 25.
- attend a Burns Supper
- Many tourists attend a Burns Supper to experience Scottish culture.
- traditional Burns Supper
- The traditional Burns Supper includes haggis, neeps, and tatties.
- Burns Supper celebration
- The Burns Supper celebration ended with a rendition of 'Auld Lang Syne'.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Burns Night
- Refers to the evening of January 25 and the celebrations; 'Burns Supper' specifically means the dinner event.
Word family
- Burns proper noun
- The surname of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759–1796).
Commonly confused: Burns Supper or burn's supper?
Burns Supper vs burn's supper
The correct spelling is 'Burns Supper' without an apostrophe, because it is named after the poet Burns, not something belonging to a burn.
Practice
What is a Burns Supper?
Choose one answer.
A Burns Supper is a Scottish cultural event honoring Robert Burns. The other options are literal or unrelated and do not match the proper noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Burns Supper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.