What's the difference between libation and patera?
Libation
Definition:
(n.) The act of pouring a liquid or liquor, usually wine, either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice, in honor of some deity; also, the wine or liquid thus poured out.
Example Sentences:
(1) Just one hour ago he was sitting in a tiny backstage room, enjoying a post-show libation and breathing in a blue cloud of smoke courtesy of a gang of well-wishers.
(2) The structure activity of these compounds in relationship to the enzymes studied suggest the importance of O-methylation on the enzymatic effect studied which may possibly underlie some of the hypothesized action of THP on libation of alcohol.
Patera
Definition:
(n.) A saucerlike vessel of earthenware or metal, used by the Greeks and Romans in libations and sacrificies.
(n.) A circular ornament, resembling a dish, often worked in relief on friezes, and the like.