Intimates that share your table

[mchappory]

Hi Folks, I was listening to Peter Brown's book, Through the eye of a needle, and he mentioned the latin term for intimates who share your table. It sounded like Eu-when-nas. I'd be grateful if someone could please confirm the term and meaning. The context is late antiquity if that helps.

Many thanks for your thoughts in advance, MC

 

[Mafalda]

My thought is that what you heard is iuvenes (sing, juvenis - young man), because the word for someone who shares you table is convictor.

 

[mchappory]

My thought is that what you heard is iuvenes (sing, juvenis - young man), because the word for someone who shares you table is convictor.

Thank you Malfada. That does seem most likely, but I wonder about the context re: those that share your table. Did the meaning change in the late Roman period?

 

[scrabulista]

The English word "company" came to mind:

company | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible enough to be used by anyone.

www.etymonline.com

 

[meisenimverbis]

The English word "company" came to mind:

company | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible enough to be used by anyone.

www.etymonline.com

cum + panis/pane + -arius

In the Romance languages we use this word, but it lost the sense of eating together. In Portuguese there's 'companheiro', which means 'pal', 'mate'.

There's the verb, 'comedere', also used in Portuguese (comer), though in Pt. it lost the sense of eating (edere) in company (cum) of others, and substituted 'edere', which fell in disuse.

I'm not sure if Peter Brown mentions any late antiquity specific one though...

There's also convīva, right? https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conviva#Latin