The act of feasting or eating together; a communal meal or banquet.
From Latin 'comessatio' (feasting together), derived from 'com-' (together) and 'esse' (to eat). The word entered English through late Medieval sources and carries classical connotations.
Romans had a specific word for shared eating because community meals were central to their social and political life—today we've mostly lost this single word, though the concept remains vital in culture and ritual dining.
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