to pour a libation
- phrasal verb
- /pɔr ə laɪˈbeɪʃən/
- Formal
:
verter una libación
- Before the ceremony began, they gathered around the altar to pour a libation of wine as a tribute to their ancestors.
Examples
-
Larger than the other figures, a bearded priest pours a libation on the altar and simultaneously, with his other hand, makes a gesture of prayer over a piece of flesh held up to him by a second, much smaller boy.
Academic text (1994) -
They pour a libation of three cups of wine before departure.
Academic text (1998) -
Periodically, the homeowner went outside the house to pour a libation of liquor on the ground, offering it also to the dancers.
Academic text (2008) -
In ancient rituals, it is customary to pour a libation to honor the gods and seek their blessings.
-
At the festival, participants would pour a libation of honey and water as an offering to the spirit of the river.
Synonyms
1
9.0
To spill a small amount of drink on the ground to honour someone who has died
To pour out liquid as an offering in a ceremony
Offer a drink in a ceremony to honor someone or a god
How Ceremonial
- NSFW
133
5.3
- Formal
3
3.9
161
6.3
∞
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'pour' (to make a liquid flow) applied to 'libation' (a ceremonial liquid offering) yields the ceremonial act described. The article 'a' is merely grammatical and the ritual of pouring offerings is cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows the constituent meanings will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Pour a libation comes from old religious acts where people would pour wine or water as a libation onto the ground or an altar to honor gods or ancestors. That's why the phrase means 'to make a special drink offering' or 'to honor or remember' someone.