Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
at table en · ADP
Meanings
Eating a meal at a table, especially with others.
But she managed not to cry for she knew that would not do at table. 1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 92:
sitting at table with a servant
[…] but anything would have been better than sitting at table with a thing only fit for a May-day sweep on one's head. 1876, Lady Barker, The Kafir at Home, printed in The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art, volume 23 (87?), page 221 http://books.google.com/books?id=YbkmAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22May%20Day%20sweep%22&pg=PP15#v=onepage&q=%22May%20Day%20sweep%22&f=false
Preparing and serving the table for a meal, usually formal.