What does “comensales” mean in Spanish?

“Comensales” is the single word Spanish has for “everyone sharing a meal” — dinner guests, the people around your table, diners in a restaurant. “Una mesa para diez comensales” is a table for ten; warning that bad food can sicken “todos los comensales” means everyone at the cookout, not just the host. English has no neat one-word equivalent, which is exactly why it’s worth learning.

The etymology is a quiet treat: from Latin “com-” (together) + “mensa” (table) — literally “those who share a table,” the same root behind English “commensal.” Grill-day vocabulary clustered around it: “la parrillada” (the barbecue/cookout), “la parrilla” (the grill), “carne molida” (ground beef), “la nevera” (the fridge, in many regions).