Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

1. lībo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [root λιβ-, λειβω, λοιβή; cf. Līber, delibutus, etc.], to take a little from any thing.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: libare gramina dentibus, to crop, Calp. Ecl. 5, 51.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To take a taste of a thing, to taste: jecur, Liv. 25, 16: pocula Bacchi, Verg. A. 3, 354: flumina libant Summa leves, to sip, id. G. 4, 54.
        1. b. Poet., to touch a thing: cibos digitis, Ov. A. A. 1, 577: summam celeri pede libat harenam, id. M. 10, 653: cellulae limen, Petr. 136: oscula alicujus, to kiss, Verg. A. 1, 256.
      2. 2. To pour out in honor of a deity, to make a libation of any thing: duo rite mero libans carchesia Baccho, Verg. A. 5, 77: carchesia patri, Val. Fl. 5, 274: Oceano libemus, Verg. G. 4, 381: in mensam laticum libavit honorem, id. A. 1, 740: pateris altaria libant, sprinkle, id. ib. 12, 174: sepulcrum mei Tlepolemi tuo luminum cruore libabo, App. M. 8, p. 206 fin.
        1. b. To pour out or forth: rorem in tempora nati, Val. Fl. 4, 15.
      3. 3. To pour out as an offering, to offer, dedicate, consecrate: certasque fruges certasque bacas sacerdotes publice libanto, Cic. Leg. 2, 8, 19: diis dapes, Liv. 39, 43: uvam, Tib. 1, 11, 21: frugem Cereri, Ov. M. 8, 274: noluit bibere, sed libavit eam (aquam) Domino, Vulg. 2 Reg. 23, 16.
        Absol., to offer libations: libant diis alienis, Vulg. Jer. 7, 18: Domino, id. 2 Reg. 23, 16: cum solemni die Jovi libaretur, Gell. 12, 8, 2.
        So poet.: carmen aris, Prop. 4 (5), 6, 8: Celso lacrimas libamus adempto, Ov. P. 1, 9, 41.
      4. 4. To lessen, diminish, impair by taking away: ergo terra tibi libatur et aucta recrescit, Lucr. 5, 260; id. 5, 568: virginitatem, Ov. H. 2, 115: vires, Liv. 21, 29.
  2. II. Trop., to take out, cull, extract from any thing (rare but class.): ex variis ingeniis excellentissima quaeque libavimus, Cic. Inv. 2, 2, 4; cf. id. Tusc. 5, 29, 82: qui tuo nomini velis ex aliorum laboribus libare laudem, Auct. Her. 4, 3, 5: libandus est etiam ex omni genere urbanitatis facetiarum quidem lepos, Cic. de Or. 1, 34, 159: a qua (natura deorum) haustos animos et libatos habemus, id. Div. 1, 49, 110: unde (i. e. ex divinitate) omnes animos haustos, aut acceptos, aut libatos haberemus, id. ib. 2, 11, 26: neque ea, ut sua, possedisse, sed ut aliena libāsse. id. de Or. 1, 50, 218.
    1. B. To learn something of, acquire superficially: sed eum (informamus) qui quasdam artes haurire, omnes libare debet, Tac. Dial. 31 fin.

lībum (lībus, m., Nigid. ap. Non. 211, 31), i, n. [libo; cf. Varr. L. L. 4, 22], a cake, pancake of meal, made with milk or oil, and spread with honey, Cato, R. R. 75: rustica liba, Ov. F. 3, 670: adorea liba per herbam Subiciunt epulis, Verg. A. 7, 109; Ov. F. 3, 761: plena domus libis venalibus, Juv. 3, 187.
Often used in offerings to the gods: liba absoluta esse et rem divinam paratam, Varr. R. R. 2, 8, 1: suum Baccho dicemus honorem, … et liba feremus, Verg. G. 2, 394; Tib. 1, 7, 54; 1, 10, 23; Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 10: melle pater (Bacchus) fruitur, liboque infusa calenti Jure repertori candida mella damus, Ov. F. 3, 761: haec te liba, Priape, quot annis Exspectare sat est, Verg. E. 7, 33. It was customary to offer a cake to the gods on one’s birthday, Juv. 16, 38.
Hence, quinquagesima liba, a cake offered to the gods on one’s fiftieth birthday, Mart. 10, 24, 4.
In masc.: faciat libos quatuor, Nigid. ap. Non. 211, 31.