mensa

[ men-suh ]
/ ˈmɛn sə /

noun, plural men·sas, men·sae [men-see] /ˈmɛn si/ for 1, genitive men·sae for 2.

Also called altar slab, altar stone. the flat stone forming the top of the altar in a Roman Catholic church.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the Table, a southern constellation near Octans.

Origin of mensa

First recorded in 1685–95, mensa is from the Latin word mēnsa table

Definition for mensa (2 of 3)

Mensa
[ men-suh ]
/ ˈmɛn sə /

noun

an international fellowship organization for people with IQ's in the top 2 percent of the general population.

Origin of Mensa

From the Latin word mēnsa table, symbolizing the original conception of the society, “a round table where no one has precedence”

OTHER WORDS FROM Mensa

Men·san, noun

Definition for mensa (3 of 3)

a mensa et thoro
[ ey men-suh et thawr-oh, thohr-oh ]
/ eɪ ˈmɛn sə ɛt ˈθɔr oʊ, ˈθoʊr oʊ /

adjective Law.

pertaining to or noting a divorce that forbids spouses to live together but does not dissolve the marriage bond.

Origin of a mensa et thoro

1590–1600; < Latin: literally, from board and bed. See mensal2, torus

Example sentences from the Web for mensa

British Dictionary definitions for mensa (1 of 3)

Mensa 1
/ (ˈmɛnsə) /

noun Latin genitive Mensae (ˈmɛnsiː)

a faint constellation in the S hemisphere lying between Hydrus and Volans and containing part of the Large Magellanic Cloud

Word Origin for Mensa

Latin, literally: the table

British Dictionary definitions for mensa (2 of 3)

Mensa 2
/ (ˈmɛnsə) /

noun

an international society, membership of which is restricted to people whose intelligence test scores exceed those expected of 98 per cent of the population

British Dictionary definitions for mensa (3 of 3)

a mensa et thoro
/ (eɪ ˈmɛnsə ɛt ˈθɔːrəʊ) /

adjective

law denoting or relating to a form of divorce in which the parties remain married but do not cohabit: abolished in England in 1857

Word Origin for a mensa et thoro

Latin: from table and bed