cēna | coena | caena | caesna (noun F) : (not , ; old form ; cf.
* Casmena for Camena,Fest. p. 205, 15 Müll.), , 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.
* 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.
* Meton.
* With verbs: quid ego istius prandia, cenas commemorem?Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 19, § 49; Suet. Vit. 13: cenam apparare,Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 74: 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. 2, 2, 28; 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.
* 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. 1, 2, 9; 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. 2, 2, 32: fit aliquid in cenam,is preparing,Val. Max. 8, 1, 8: ire ad cenam,Ter. Eun. 3, 2, 6: 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.
* A dish, course, at dinner: prima, altera, tertia,Mart. 11, 31, 5 and 6.—*
* A company at table: ingens cena sedet,Juv. 2, 120.—*
* The place of an entertainment (cf. cenatio and cenaculum), Plin. 12, 1, 5, § 11.

s. TLL