daps or dăpis, dăpis (nom. daps obsol. Paul. Diac. p. 68, 3: dapis, Juvenc. ap. Auct. de gen. nom. p. 78.—The gen. pl. and dat. sing. do not occur, but are supplied by epulae, cena, convivium, q. v.), f. [stem, dap-, Gr. δαπάνη, expense: cf. δεῖπνον; R. da-, Gr. δαίω, to distribute; Sanscr. dapajami, to cause to divide], a solemn feast for religious purposes, a sacrificial feast (before beginning to till the ground; the Greek προηρόσια, made in honor of some divinity, in memory of departed friends, etc. Thus distinguished from epulae, a meal of any kind: convivium, a meal or feast for company; epulum, a formal or public dinner, v. h. v.).
I Prop.: dapem pro bubus piro florente facito... postea dape facta serito milium, panicum, alium, lentim, Cato R. R. 131 and 132; id. ib. 50 fin. : pro grege, an offering for the protection of the flock , Tib. 1, 5, 28; Liv. 1, 7 ad fin. : ergo obligatam redde Jovi dapem, Hor. C. 2, 7, 17: nunc Saliaribus Ornare pulvinar deorum Tempus erat dapibus, id. ib. 1, 37, 4: sollemnis dapes et tristia dona, Verg. A. 3, 301.
II Transf. by the poets and post-Augustan prose-writers beyond the sphere of religion, and used of every (esp. rich, sumptuous) meal, a feast, banquet , in the sing. and plur. (in Verg. passim, in Tibul. in this signif. only plur.).—
α Sing. : ne cum tyranno quisquam... eandem vescatur dapem, Att. ap. Non. 415, 25 (v. 217 Ribbeck): quae haec daps est? qui festus dies? Liv. Andr. ap. Prisc. p. 752 P. (transl. of Hom. Od. 1, 225: τίς δαΐς, τίς δὲ ὅμιλος ὅδʼ ἔπλετο); so Cat. 64, 305; Hor. Od. 4, 4, 12; id. Epod. 5, 33; id. Ep. 1, 17, 51: of a simple, poor meal , Ov. H. 9, 68; 16, 206. Opp. to wine: nunc dape, nunc posito mensae nituere Lyaeo, Ov. F. 5, 521; cf. so in plur., id. M. 8, 571; Verg. A. 1, 706.—
β Plur. : Tib. 1, 5, 49; 1, 10, 8; Verg. E. 6, 79; id. G. 4, 133; id. A. 1, 210 et saep.; Hor. Od. 1, 32, 13; id. Epod. 2, 48; Ov. M. 5, 113; 6, 664; Tac. A. 14, 22 et saep.: humanae, human excrement , Plin. 17, 9, 6, § 51.