The Etymology of Libation
Libation is a ceremonial Latin import. The Romans distinguished carefully between lībāre — to pour out a small portion of wine, oil, or milk as an offering to the gods, and to taste what remained — and ordinary drinking. A lībātiō was the action of that pouring, a small ritual that began nearly every Mediterranean meal. The verb stems from Proto-Indo-European *leyb- (to drip, pour), which also gives Greek leíbein with the same meaning. English borrowed libation in the late 14th century, originally for poured offerings in Greek, Roman, or biblical religion. By the 19th century the word had acquired a tongue-in-cheek life as a mock-grand term for an ordinary alcoholic drink — let us partake of a small libation. The humour depends on the audience knowing the elevated original, which is partly why libation has survived as a cocktail-hour favourite while many other classical religious terms have not.