LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

hostia

hostia f (genitive hostiae)
Classical[ˈhɔs.ti.a]Ecclesiastical[ˈɔs.ti.a]

Meaning

  1. femininesacrifice, offering
  2. femininevictim, sacrificial animal
  3. femininehost, the consecrated bread

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativehostiahostiae
genitivehostiaehostiārum
dativehostiaehostiīs
accusativehostiamhostiās
ablativehostiāhostiīs
vocativehostiahostiae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

victimas (oxen), hostias (smaller animals, especially sheep) immolare, securi ferire, caedere, mactare
to slaughter victims.

hostĭa (also fostia), ae, f. 2. hostio, acc. to Paul. ex Fest. p. 102 Müll.,
I. an animal sacrificed, a victim, sacrifice (cf.: victima).
I. Lit.: cum Trebatius doceat, hostiarum genera esse duo, unum in quo voluntas dei per exta disquiritur, alterum, in quo sola anima deo sacratur, unde etiam haruspices animales has hostias vocant, Macr. S. 3, 5, 1: illud ex institutis pontificum et haruspicum non mutandum est, quibus hostiis immolandum cuique deo, Cic. Leg. 2, 12, 29: ea prodigia partim majoribus hostiis partim lactentibus procurarentur, Liv. 22, 1, 15: majoribus hostiis rem divinam facere, id. 31, 5, 3: Veneri immolare hostiam, Plaut. Poen. 2, 2: hostiis propitiare Venerem, id. ib. 4, 2, 25; cf. v. 27: Pseudole, arcesse hostias, Victimas, lanios, ut ego huic sacrificem summo Jovi, id. Ps. 1, 3, 93: hostias immolare, Cic. Div. 1, 42, 93: hostias ad sacrificium praebere ... hostias redimere (used interchangeably with victimae), id. Inv. 2, 31, 96 sq.: hostiae omnibus locis immolabantur, Hirt. B. G. 8, 51, 3: C. Mario per hostias dis supplicanti, Sall. J. 63, 1: nondum cum sanguine sacro Hostia caelestes pacificasset heros, Cat. 68, 76: ad scelus perficiendum caesis hostiis (shortly before: nocturna sacrificia), Cic. Clu. 68, 194: mactata hostia, Hor. C. 1, 19, 16: non sumptuosa blandior hostia Mollivit aversos Penates Farre pio et saliente mica, id. ib. 3, 23, 18: quadraginta hostiis sacrificare, Liv. 41, 19, 2: hostiis piare prodigia, Tac. H. 5, 13: si primis hostiis litatum non est, Gell. 4, 6, 6: ruminalis, Plin. 8, 51, 77, § 206: maximam hostiam ovilli pecoris appellabant, non ab amplitudine corporis sed ab animo placidiore, Paul. ex Fest. p. 126 Müll.: (Galli) humanis hostiis aras ac templa funestant, Cic. Font. 10, 21 (for which: Galli pro victimis homines immolant, Caes. B. G. 6, 16, 2); cf.: humanis hostiis litare, Tac. G. 9: humana, Plin. 8, 22, 34, § 82.—Collect., Verg. A. 1, 334.—
II. Transf., Hostia, a group of stars belonging to the constellation Centaurus, Hyg. Astr. 3, 37.

Origins

From Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰostiyo-, from *ǵʰes- (“hand”).

Descendants
  • Englishhostfrom Old French oiste
  • Catalanhòstia
  • GermanHostie
  • Italianostia
  • Frenchhostiefrom Middle French hostie
  • Englishhostiefrom Middle French hostie
  • Portuguesehóstia
  • Romanianhostie
  • Spanishhostia
  • Middle Frenchoistefrom Old French oiste

Quick answers

What does hostia mean in Latin?
hostia, a noun, means “sacrifice, offering; victim, sacrificial animal; host, the consecrated bread”.
What is the genitive of hostia?
The genitive singular is hostiae. hostia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce hostia?
In classical Latin, [ˈhɔs.ti.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈɔs.ti.a].