cēna (not coena, caena; old form caesna; cf.
I Casmena for Camena, Fest. p. 205, 15 Müll.), ae, f. [Sanscr. khad-, eat; Umbr. çes-na; cf. Gr. κνίζω], the principal meal of the Romans in the early period , taken about midday , dinner , supper (Paul. ex Fest. p. 54, 4; Fest. p. 338, 4 and 368, 8 Müll.); subsequently, the prandium was taken at noon, and the cena was usually begun about the 9th hour, i. e. at 3 o'clock P. M. (v. Dict. of Antiq. s. v. coena; cf.: prandium, jentaculum): cena apud antiquos dicebatur quod nunc est prandium. Vesperna, quam nunc cenam appellamus, Paul. ex Fest. l. l.; Cic. Fam. 9, 26, 1; Mart. 4, 8, 6; Plin. Ep. 3, 1; to begin sooner was an indication of gluttony, Plin. Pan. 49, 6.
α With substt. : cenarum ars, Hor. S. 2, 4, 35: caput cenae, Cic. Fin. 2, 8, 25; cf.: mullus cenae caput, Mart. 10, 31, 4: ejus cenae fundus et fundamentum omne erat aula una lentis Aegyptiae, Gell. 17, 8, 1: genus cenae sollemne, viaticum, adventicium, geniale, Philarg. ad Verg. E. 5, 74: honos cenae, Suet. Vesp. 2: inpensae cenarum, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 38: cenarum magister, Mart. 12, 48, 15: ordo cenae, Petr. 92: cenae pater, Hor. S. 2, 8, 7: o noctes cenaeque deūm! id. ib. 2, 6, 65: mero Pontificum potiore cenis, id. C. 2, 14, 28: Thyestae, id. A. P. 91.—
β With adjj. : abundantissima, Suet. Ner. 42: aditialis, Varr. R. R. 3, 6, 6; Sen. Ep. 95, 41: sumptuosa, id. ib. 95, 41: adventicia, Suet. Vit. 13: quorum omnis vigilandi labor in antelucanis cenis expromitur, i. e. lasting all night , Cic. Cat. 2, 10, 22: auguralis, id. Fam. 7, 26, 2: amplior, Juv. 14, 170: bona atque magna, Cat. 13, 3: brevis, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 35: Cerialis, Plaut. Men. 1, 1, 25: dubia, Ter. Phorm. 342; Hor. S. 2, 2, 77: ebria, Plaut. Cas. 3, 6, 31: grandes, Quint. 10, 1, 58: lautissima, Plin. Ep. 9, 17, 1: libera, open table , Petr. 26: multa de magnā fercula cenā, Hor. S. 2, 6, 104: munda, id. C. 3, 29, 15: cena non minus nitida quam frugi, Plin. Ep. 3, 1, 9: sororia, nuptialis. Plaut. Curc. 5, 2, 60 sq.: Suet. Calig. 25: opimae, Hor. S. 2, 7, 103: popularem quam vocant, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 69: prior, i. e. a previous invitation , Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 27: publicae, Suet. Ner. 16: recta, id. Dom. 7; Mart. 2, 69, 7; 7, 19, 2: Saliares, Ap. Met. 4, 22, 7; sollemnes, Suet. Tib. 34: subita, Sen. Thyest. 800; Suet. Claud. 21: terrestris, of vegetables , Plaut. Capt. 1, 2, 86: varia, Hor. S. 2, 6, 86: viatica, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 1, 61.—
γ With verbs : quid ego istius prandia, cenas commemorem? Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 19, § 49; Suet. Vit. 13: cenam apparare, Ter. Heaut. 126: curare, Plaut. Poen. 5, 3, 37: coquere, id. Aul. 2, 7, 3; id. Cas. 3, 6, 28; 4, 1, 8; 4, 2, 2; id. Rud. 4, 7, 38 al.; Nep. Cim. 4, 3: cenas facere, Cic. Att. 9, 13, 6; cf. id. Fam. 9, 24, 2 sq.: anteponere, Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 25: committere maturo ovo, Varr. ap. Non. p. 249, 8: praebere ternis ferculis, Suet. Aug. 74: ducere, to prolong , Hor. A. P. 376: ministrare, id. S. 1, 6, 116: producere, id. ib. 1, 5, 70: apponere, Ter. Phorm. 342; Suet. Galb. 12: deesse cenae, Quint. 7, 3, 31: instruere pomis et oleribus, Gell. 2, 24 al.: cenam dare alicui, Plaut. Capt. 4, 4, 2; 3, 1, 34; Cic. Fam. 9, 20, 2: cenae adhibere aliquem, Quint. 11, 2, 12; Plin. Ep. 6, 31, 13; Suet. Caes. 73; id. Aug. 74; id. Claud. 32; id. Calig. 25; id. Tit. 9: Taurus accipiebat nos Athenis cenā, Gell. 17, 8, 1: cenam cenavi tuam, Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 24: obire cenas, Cic. Att. 9, 13, 6: cenam condicere alicui, to engage one’s self to any one as a guest , promise to be one’s guest , Suet. Tib. 42.—
δ With prepp. : ante cenam, Cato R. R. 114; 115, 1: inter cenam, at table , Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 6, § 19; id. Fragm. ap. Quint. 9, 3, 58; id. Phil. 2, 25, 63; Quint. 6, 3, 10; Suet. Galb. 22; id. Aug. 71; in this sense in Suet. several times: super cenam, Suet. Aug. 77; id. Tib. 56; id. Ner. 42; id. Vit. 12; id. Vesp. 22; id. Tit. 8; id. Dom. 21: post cenam, Quint. 1, 10, 19.—
ε With substt. and prepp. : aliquem Abduxi ad cenam, Ter. Heaut. 183; Cic. Tusc. 5, 32, 91: aliquem ad cenam aliquo condicam foras, Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 18; id. Stich. 3, 1, 38: holera et pisciculos ferre in cenam seni, Ter. And. 369: fit aliquid in cenam, is preparing , Val. Max. 8, 1, 8: ire ad cenam, Ter. Eun. 459: venire ad cenam, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 6, § 19; Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 61: itare ad cenas, Cic. Fam. 9, 24, 2: invitare ad cenam, id. ib. 7, 9, 3; Quint. 7, 3, 33; Suet. Claud. 4: venire ad cenam, Cic. Fin. 2, 8, 25: promittere ad cenam, Plin. Ep. 1, 15, 1: vocare ad cenam, Cic. Att. 6, 3, 9; Hor. S. 2, 7, 30; Suet. Tib. 6: devocare, Nep. Cim. 4, 3: redire a cenā, Cic. Rosc. Am. 35, 98. —Prov.: cenā comesā venire, i. e. to come too late : post festum, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 11: cenam rapere de rogo, of unscrupulous greed , Cat. 59, 3.—
II Meton.
A A dish , course , at dinner: prima, altera, tertia, Mart. 11, 31, 5 and 6.—*
B A company at table : ingens cena sedet, Juv. 2, 120.—*
C The place of an entertainment (cf. cenatio and cenaculum), Plin. 12, 1, 5, § 11.