# How do you say "a toast" in Latin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723 "2016-05-26T03:04:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/1 "2016-05-26T03:04:59Z")
I’m going to have some friends over for a toast this weekend. I’m trying to find a name for the event. Is there a Latin equivalent for drinking a toast? Or for a housewarming, for that matter? ( it’s not exactly a housewarming, but it’s sorta kinda- I thought of calling it _Homo Domo Bibo_ but I’m sure that doesn’t work at all,) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/2 "2016-05-26T03:22:33Z")
Veni, vidi, vino! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/3 "2016-05-26T03:24:59Z")
Ask Sheldon Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/4 "2016-05-26T03:35:51Z")
_Nunc est bibendum_ the first words of Horace’s “Cleopatra Ode”. Roughly “now is the time for drinking”. > [@](#): > > Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero > pulsanda tellus, nunc Saliaribus > ornare pulvinar deorum > tempus erat dapibus, sodales. > Drink, comrades, drum the ground, now it is time > For freedom’s dance; and call on all the gods > To come, lay out their gorgeous couches, > And let them recline at the feast of Mars. Translation from here [http://www.proserpinacurius.freeservers.com/Papers/cleopatra\_ode.htm](http://www.proserpinacurius.freeservers.com/Papers/cleopatra_ode.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/5 "2016-05-26T03:56:37Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > _Nunc est bibendum_ Thank Riemann! I owe you a bibere! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/6 "2016-05-26T07:57:58Z")
Also _praebibo_ can get used in that sense (see for instance[this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8sChfgeTeM), _In Praebibo Mortis_, usually translated as “A toast to Death”), although it’s _usually_ a drink before, not a drink to as I understand it. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/7 "2016-05-26T08:25:23Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Also _praebibo_ can get used in that sense (see for instance[this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8sChfgeTeM), _In Praebibo Mortis_, usually translated as “A toast to Death”), although it’s _usually_ a drink before, not a drink to as I understand it. The _prae-_ prefix connotes a bit more than “before” in a purely temporal sense. _Praebibere_ would be to drink in anticipation of something, or to drink as a salutation or herald of something. So it could mean “toast”, provided what you toasting is an imminent event. The Romans, of course, didn’t toast important events by drinking; they poured a drink on the ground (a “libation”) as an offering to honour, thank or intercede with a god or the gods generally. In the context of something like a housewarming, the Romans would definitely have performed a libation. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/8 "2016-05-30T17:31:01Z")
[_Propīnāre_](http://logeion.uchicago.edu/index.html#propino) - “To drink to one’s health, to pledge one in something” takes the accusative of the thing drunk and the dative of the person in whose honor the drink is made. The noun form is [_propīnātiō_](http://logeion.uchicago.edu/index.html#propinatio). ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/9 "2016-05-30T17:50:43Z")
Other choices to say during a toast, depending on the occasion, according to this cite of Latin quotes: > [@](#): > > … > > Bene vobis! - May it be well with you! > Dilige amicos - Love your friends. > Dum vivimus vivamus - Let us live while we live. > Esto perpetua - Be thou perpetual. > Nunc est bibendum - Now, let us drink! > > … > > Propino tibi! - I drink to you! > Propino tibi salutem! - I drink to your health! (Along with the previous toast, this one is still used in Italy, although it may only be known since the Middle Ages) > Prosit! - To your good fortune! May things go well for you (commonly used in German speaking countries, shortend to “Prost!”) > Salutaria! - This roughly equates to “Cheers!” in meaning. > > … ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/10 "2016-05-30T19:16:30Z")
Interesting how “propina” survived as the standard Spanish word for a tip. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/11 "2016-05-30T22:41:53Z")
_Nunc est bibendum_ I never knew Latin, but it’s nice to know bibendum means "time to drink. I first read the word in a piece about the Michelin Tire Co… The familiar Michelin Man originated when they made bicycle tires, and his rings were narrower than today. His name in those days was **Bibendum.** Today, they just call him **Bib.** Then I went looking for a pic, and the Wiki page has several, including Eileen Gray’s _Bibendum Chair_. Of course now I know a lot more about Bib than I did when I started this post. > **[Michelin Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibendum)** > > Bibendum (French pronunciation: ​\[bibɛ̃dɔm\]), commonly referred to in English as the Michelin Man or Michelin Tyre Man, is the official mascot of the Michelin tyre company. A humanoid figure consisting of stacked white tyres, it was introduced at the Lyon Exhibition of 1894 where the Michelin brothers had a stand. He is one of the world's oldest trademarks still in active use. The slogan Nunc est bibendum ("Now is the time to drink") is taken from Horace's Odes (book I, ode xxxvii, line 1). He Mi... > **[Eileen Gray’s Bibendum: A Modern but Feminine Chair - Bienenstock Furniture...](https://www.furniturelibrary.com/eileen-grays-bibendum-modern-feminine-chair/)** > > Eileen Gray is a name closely tied to women’s dignified entrance into the male-dominated design world. Born in 1878, Eileen Gray was the youngest of five children of a wealthy Scots–Irish family. This privileged background allowed her to travel... ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/12 "2016-05-31T00:18:41Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > _Nunc est bibendum_ > > I never knew Latin, but it’s nice to know bibendum means "time to drink. . . . Actually, it means “that which ought to be drunk” or “that which is for drinking”. It only acquires the sense of “the time for drinking” when paired with _nunc_ (“now”). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/13 "2016-05-31T00:41:20Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Actually, it means “that which ought to be drunk” or “that which is for drinking”. It only acquires the sense of “the time for drinking” when paired with _nunc_ (“now”). Good point. Gotta check out those Mirandas, gotta love those Amandas. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/14 "2016-05-31T00:42:47Z")
Darn, I forgot the link for a post again, sorry: [http://www.inrebus.com/index.php](http://www.inrebus.com/index.php) [http://www.inrebus.com/index.php?entry=entry150608-154200](http://www.inrebus.com/index.php?entry=entry150608-154200) ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/15 "2016-05-31T00:50:58Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Good point. Gotta check out those Mirandas, gotta love those Amandas. And don’t forget to act on those agendas. Not to mention revering those reverends. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/16 "2016-05-31T00:57:20Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > And don’t forget to act on those agendas. Not to mention revering those reverends. True! And those pandas must be ready! Okay, maybe not… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/17 "2016-05-31T01:08:46Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Interesting how “propina” survived as the standard Spanish word for a tip. I don’t think that’s a survival: survivals don’t have internal -p-. I can’t find a cite in English that doesn’t just glibly say “from the Latin,” but it has to be a learned borrowing from the medieval period or later. It seems to be found in Portuguese as well; [this site](http://todoprosa.com.br/propina/) says it’s a 17th century borrowing; for Spanish, from the 16th century according to [here](http://www.diariopalentino.es/noticia.cfm/Opini%C3%B3n/20110525/extra%C3%B1a/etimologia/propina/52A68154-937F-143F-F4121301731633A1). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/18 "2016-05-31T01:24:22Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I don’t think that’s a survival: survivals don’t have internal -p-. I can’t find a cite in English that doesn’t just glibly say “from the Latin,” but it has to be a learned borrowing from the medieval period or later. It seems to be found in Portuguese as well; [this site](http://todoprosa.com.br/propina/) says it’s a 17th century borrowing; for Spanish, from the 16th century according to [here](http://www.diariopalentino.es/noticia.cfm/Opini%C3%B3n/20110525/extra%C3%B1a/etimologia/propina/52A68154-937F-143F-F4121301731633A1). You’re right, it’s surely a late- or post-medieval learned borrowing. Good catch. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723/19 "2016-05-31T01:27:42Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Actually, it means “that which ought to be drunk” or “that which is for drinking”. It only acquires the sense of “the time for drinking” when paired with _nunc_ (“now”). Well… the idiom is that you use the neuter of the gerund in the nominative with a stated or implied ‘est’ (or often reduced to merely an st or apostrophe-st) and it means what we might translate into English as ‘it is obligatory to…’ with the dative of the person or persons who bear the obligation (though this is more often implied than stated, in my experience). That is: _bibendum est_ - drinking is to be done (by us) _eundum est nōbīs_ - we gotta go _mīrandum’st_ - we must marvel _cēvendumst_ - we’re boned