What is the Latin word for table?

The usual Latin words for “table” are mēnsa, cēna, cēnātiō; also convīvium, epulum, tabula. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“table” in Latin

mēnsaa table; a table of food; meal, course, feast; an altar (sacrificial table)cēnadinner, supper, principal meal (anciently taken at noon, afterwards later); gwestva (a duty levied by Welsh kings twice cēnātiōa dining-room, dining hall convīviumbanquet, party, feast epulumfeast, banquet, festive entertainment; dishes, meats.; food.tabulatablet, sometimes a tablet covered with wax for writing; board or plank; map, painting, document or other item put onto tesseratessera; a die with six faces and pips, alike modern-day ones; watchword tabellasmall board, tablet, or table (for writing); small piece of wood, board, plank, tray, trough; plaque, placard, signboard cōdĭcilliWood cut and split for burning pugillārisfist

The English word table itself goes back to Latin tabula.

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

table

A board on which meals are spread, mensa; diminutive, mensula (Plaut.): monopodium (a table with a single pillar or leg). To sit at table, assidere mensae (according to the modern fashion); accumbere mensae (in the Roman manner): to sit down to table, assidere mensae (according to the modern fashion); accumbere mensae (in the Roman fashion): to cover a table, *linteum superinjicere mensae (i. e., to lay the cloth): to set food on a table, mensam exstruere epulis: to clear the table, mensam tollere (according to the Roman custom).

A meal, entertainment, cena: cenatio: convivium: epulae (Sall.); also, mensa (Curt.): at table, apud mensam (Plaut.); super mensam (Curt.); super mensas (Hor.); better, super cenam (Plin., Ep., Suet.); inter cenam (Cic.); inter epulas (Sall.); super vinum et epulas (Curt.): to purchase fish for table, ad cenam pisces emere: to invite to table, aliquem invitare, vocare, ad cenam: to be at anybody’s table, cenare apud aliquem (Cic.); cum aliquo (Hor.): to rise from table, a mensa surgere (Plaut.); desurgere cena, (Hor., Sat.): a good table, lautus victus; epulae conquisitissimae: to keep a good table, laute, lepide cenare: the pleasures of the table, delectatio conviviorum; oblectamenta convivialia; voluptates epularum: to enjoy the pleasures of the table, delectari conviviis.

Any long or broad board, tabula; tessera (small).

For writing on, tabula, tabella; codicilli, pugillares (small tablet, memorandum-book).

A written list, etc., tabula (e.g., tabulae historicae, chronologicae).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for table?: The usual Latin words for “table” are mēnsa, cēna, cēnātiō; also convīvium, epulum, tabula. 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.