‖ syssitia Gr. Antiq.
(sɪˈsɪtɪə)
[a. Gr. συσσῑ́τια, pl. of συσσῑ́τιον common meal, or συσσιτία, n. of action f. σύσσιτος eating in common or συσσιτεῖν to mess in common, f. σύν syn-1 + σῖτος food.]
a. Meals eaten together in public. b. The custom of eating the chief meal of the day at a public mess, as practised in Sparta and Crete. Also syssition (-ˈɪtɪɒn), a common meal, mess.
| 1835 Thirlwall Greece I. vii. 287 The most important feature in the Cretan mode of life, is the usage of the Syssitia, or public meals, of which all the citizens partook. 1846 Grote Greece ii. vi. II. 504 [Lycurgus] constituted..the Syssitia or public mess. 1874 Symonds Sk. Italy & Greece (1898) I. xiii. 287 Necessity and the waiter drive them all to a sepulchral syssition. |
| transf. 1885 Pall Mall G. 27 May 6/1 As regards the midday meal, I am aware that dinner is provided for the few who elect to do the preparation work at school,..but this is a very different thing from the syssitia that I desiderate. |