Tiffin refers to lunch or any light meal. It originated in British India to describe the fusion of Indian tradition and the British practise of having afternoon tea, resulting instead in a light afternoon meal.The new word came from the archaic British slang 'tiffing' which meant 'to take a small sip'. Today the term is primarily used in India and can mean anything for a small snack to the lunch-boxes that are taken to work or school.