“feast” in Latin

A festival, dies festus: dies sollemnis: dies festus ac sollemnis (a feast that is celebrated every year): sollemne (a sacrifice celebrated yearly): dies feriatus (a feast-day, opposed to dies profestus, Plin., 18, 6, 8): ☞ festum is poetical only. To celebrate a feast, diem festum agere; during three days, per triduum (Liv. 25, 23): to order that the day on which a victory was gained should be observed as an annual feast, inter festos dies referre (diem), quo victoria patrata est (Tac., Ann., 13, 41, 4).

An entertainment, convivium (any meal among friends, the principal object of which consists in the entertainment, not in the pleasures of the table): epulum (a public entertainment, in honor of the gods, on the occasion of a triumph, etc., or given on festival days): epulae (a great feast, attended with magnificent pomp or preparations, the object being principally the pleasures of the table): daps (a feast with a religious object; used for a private entertainment, the word is poetical only, or post-Augustan). A feast upon a sacrifice, sacrificium epulare: to prepare a feast, convivium instruere, apparare, comparare, ornare, exornare: to give a feast in honor of anybody, cenam or epulum alicui dare: to give a feast on anybody’s birthday, alicui natalicia dare (Vid: Wernsdorf, Cic., Phil., 2, 6, p. 193): to give a feast, convivium habere, agere: to go to a feast, ad cenam ire; convivium inire: to invite anybody to a feast, aliquem ad cenam invitare or vocare (Vid: the difference in To INVITE); aliquem adhibere cenae or in convivium (as well by inviting him as by asking him to stay when he is already present): to be at a great feast, in convivio interesse: to get up from a feast, surgere a cena: to be about to get up from a feast, calceos poscere (since the shoes were taken off before reclining at table; [Vid: Plin., Ep., 9, 17, 3). ☞ The words compotatio and concenatio (Vid: Cic., Maj., 13, 4, 5, and ad Fam., 9, 24, 3) are only literal translations of the Greek συμπόσιον and σύνδειπνον, and were never in general use with the Romans. PROV. Enough is as good as a feast, qui tantuli eget, quanto est opus, is neque limo turbatam haurit aquam, neque vitam amittit in undis (Hor., Sat., 1, 1, 59); *ne te (nos, etc.) plenior justo copia delectet (after Hor., ib., 56), or *stulti est de flumine quam de fonticulo aliquo tantundem malle sumere (after Hor., ib., 55), or *qui tantum habet, quantum sat est, is parum habere non potest.

TRANS., hospitio accipere, excipere, recipere (general term for to receive; accipere and excipere of friends, recipere of those who may need etc.): convivio excipere: hospitaliter invitare: apparatis epulis accipere, excipere; invitare (as a guest at one’s board): to feast with anything, pascere aliquem aliqua re (e.g., olusculis, Cic., Att., 6, 1, 13); apponere alicui aliquid (to offer or place anything before anybody; e.g., panes convivis, Suet., Cal., 37).

INTRANS., convivari (if at an entertainment with friends): epulari (at a banquet or a great feast); with anybody, apud aliquem. IMPROPR., To feast on anything (i. e., delight in it), pasci aliqua re (Cic.) or delectari, perfrui aliqua re. To feast one’s eyes on anything, pascere oculos aliqua re (or in aliqua re facienda); fructum capere oculis ex aliqua re (both of feasting one’s eyes on the sight of some evil happening to an enemy): dare oculis epulas (comedy): to feast one’s eyes on a picture, animum pictura (inani) pascere (Verg.).