What is the Latin word for eating?

The usual Latin words for “eating” are cibus, ēsca, vincō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“eating” in Latin

cibusfood, fodder; nourishment, sustenance; meal ēscafood; fodder; fuel, especially firewood vincōto win; to conquer, to defeat, to vanquish; to overpower

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

eating

Food, cibus, cibi: esca [SYN. in FOOD]. Eating and drinking, cibus potusque; cibus vinumque; victus. Moderate eating and drinking, temperatae escae modicaeque potiones. Anything is good eating, aliquid jucunde sapit. Act of eating, by circumlocution. After eating, post cibum.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for eating?: The usual Latin words for “eating” are cibus, ēsca, vincō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.