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• mensa
  mensa

  noun

  the flat stone forming the top of the altar in a Roman Catholic church.
• Mensa
  Mensa

  noun

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

mensa

¹ American  

[men-suh] / ˈmɛn sə /

noun

• mensas,
  plural
• mensae,
  plural
• Mensae
  genitive

1. Also called altar stone.  Also called altar slab,.  the flat stone forming the top of the altar in a Roman Catholic church.

2. (initial capital letter) the Table, a southern constellation near Octans.

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Mensa ² American  

[men-suh] / ˈmɛn sə /

noun

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

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Mensa ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛnsə /

noun

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

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Mensa ² British  

/ ˈmɛnsə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Mensan
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mensae
  plural
• mensas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mensa¹

First recorded in 1685–95; from Latin mēnsa “table”

Origin of Mensa²

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mensa Mensa mensae

But an answer was afforded by any conduct which would have supported a decree of divorce a mensa et thoro.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 5 "Dinard" to "Dodsworth" by Various

Would not the discomfort of meals eaten with a companion who could swallow nothing justify a divorce a mensa?

From Somehow Good by William Frend De Morgan

All James had got for his activities in bringing his action was a divorce a mensa et thoro, that is, "from bed and board."

From The Magnificent Montez From Courtesan to Convert by Horace Wyndham

A divorce a mensa et thoro could also be granted for cruelty.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 5 "Dinard" to "Dodsworth" by Various

When you had recovered substantial damages against the hawker, you would have instructed your proctor to sue in the Ecclesiastical Courts for a divorce à mensa atque thoro.

From The Jest Book The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings by Mark Lemon

Due out May 1, it features contributions from R&B pioneer Raphael Saadiq, pop star Khalid, rapper Vic Mensa and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026

Mahnoor, who is a member of Mensa, will be focussed on gaining a place at Oxford University or Imperial College.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2024

On his personal website, Polito wrote at length about his favorite topics, rarely failing to mention membership in the Mensa society for people with high IQs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2023

Across 18 tracks, Mensa explores culture, sobriety, Ghana, home and himself, leading to his most zealous work to date.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2023

I used to fantasize about taking the Mensa test to prove that I wasn’t a total loser.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

The century writers777 make out of Dionysius Alexandrinus's epistle to Xistus, bishop of Rome, that the custom of the church of Alexandria in receiving the sacrament, was, ut mensae assisterent.

From The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) by George Gillespie

At once O'Toole's face brightened, and with a shout of pride he reeled out, "Mensa, mensa, mensam, mensae, mensae, mensa."

From Clementina by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

In the religion of the family Ovid indeed has charmingly expressed it, perhaps on the authority of some lost passage of Varro296:— ante focos olim scamnis considere longis mos erat, et mensae credere adesse deos.

From The Religious Experience of the Roman People From the Earliest Times to the Age of Augustus by W. Warde Fowler