syssitia

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical communal meals or dining groups for male citizens and youths in ancient Greece, especially in Sparta and Crete

   Participation in the syssitia reinforced civic discipline among Spartan citizens.

Borrowed from Ancient Greek syssitia, the plural of syssition, 'common meal'. The word is built from syn-, 'together', assimilated before the following sound, and sitos, 'grain' or 'food'. It names both the shared meals and the civic dining institutions organized around them.

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