Wishing Well

[Toutaric]

Is there a typically accepted Latin term for this?

Puteus Optativus? Optatalis? Optaris? Desiderialis?

Many thanks!

 

[Callaina]

Fons might be better than puteus, since the latter can also mean "pit".

I don't know that there's any accepted Latin term, but perhaps Fons optandi.

 

[Iáson]

It was a generally accepted practice in antiquity to throw votives and curse tablets into bodies of water, but I don't know if they had quite the same concept as 'wishing well'. I suspect a Roman might have simply described such a place as a fóns sacra or similar.

Maybe fóns precum? Or fóns vótórum... but vótum in that sense isn't Classical. Is there a more Classical word for 'votive offering'...? sacrificium is a bit much to describe a single coin.

I don't think there's anything wrong with puteus, it's no more ambiguous than fóns itself. fóns seems like a rather more elevated and prettier word though.

 

[Callaina]

It was a generally accepted practice in antiquity to throw votives and curse tablets into bodies of water, but I don't know if they had quite the same concept as 'wishing well'. I suspect a Roman might have simply described such a place as a fóns sacra or similar.

Maybe fóns precum? Or fóns vótórum... but vótum in that sense isn't Classical. Is there a more Classical word for 'votive offering'...? sacrificium is a bit much to describe a single coin.

What's wrong with the gerund? I think it's closer to "wishing" than any genitive noun (though I did consider the latter).

I don't think there's anything wrong with puteus, it's no more ambiguous than fóns itself. fóns seems like a rather more elevated and prettier word though.

That was pretty much my reasoning as well.

 

[Iáson]

I think it's closer to "wishing" than any genitive noun (though I did consider the latter).

I guess I just feel like there's a distinction between the idea of 'making a wish' (which is what people do at wells) and actually desiring something (which is what optó means in this significance - although it can have a wider range of meanings). Making a wish is more than just wanting something; it's a quasi-religious act which is probably best equated to the Roman practice of using votives. Also, I'm not sure if optó can be used intransitively like that. But my suggestion doesn't seem much better.

 

[Callaina]

Well, we could do fons precandi then, though that might have excessively religious overtones (as plenty of secular people make wishes at wells, though they probably don't actually believe they'll be granted. )