Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The pouring of a liquid offering as a religious ritual.
  • noun The liquid so poured.
  • noun A beverage, especially an intoxicating beverage.
  • noun The act of drinking an intoxicating beverage.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of pouring a liquid, usually wine, either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice, in honor of some deity.
  • noun The wine or other liquid poured out in honor of a deity; a drink-offering.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of pouring a liquid or liquor, usually wine, either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice, in honor of some deity; also, the wine or liquid thus poured out.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of pouring a liquid or liquor, usually wine, either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice, in honor of some deity.
  • noun The wine or liquid thus poured out.
  • noun A beverage, especially an alcoholic one (often used humorously).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a serving (of wine) poured out in honor of a deity
  • noun the act of pouring a liquid offering (especially wine) as a religious ceremony
  • noun (facetious) a serving of an alcoholic beverage

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English libacioun, from Latin lībātiō, lībātiōn-, from lībātus, past participle of lībāre, to pour out as an offering.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin libatio, from libare ("to take a little from anything, to taste, to pour out as an offering")

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Examples

Comments

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  • "Will immensely splendiferous stander permit one stooder of most extreme poverty and one largesize grandacious thirst to terminate one expensive inaugurated libation?"

    Joyce, Ulysses, 14

    January 27, 2007