viaticus

Viaticus is a Latin term whose primary meaning relates to travel and the journey. As an adjective, viaticus denotes something of or for travel, derived from via, the Latin word for road. The corresponding noun form is viaticum (neuter), whose plural is typically viatica; in classical usage it referred to provisions, money, or other supplies furnished for a journey, including resources provided to travelers or soldiers going on campaign.

In ancient Rome, viaticum commonly described the sustenance or allowances prepared to accompany a traveler’s return or to sustain a march. The concept extended to money or goods set aside to support someone undertaking a journey, and in some texts appears in phrases emphasizing travel readiness or logistical support.

In Christian usage, viaticum has a distinct sense: the Eucharist administered to a person near death, understood as spiritual nourishment for the journey from this life to the next. The term is still used in liturgical contexts to refer to this sacrament.

In modern English, viaticum is rare outside theological, historical, or medieval contexts. The related adjective viatic or the noun form viatical appears in other domains; notably, viatical settlements are transactions in which a person’s life-insurance policy is sold for cash, a usage rooted in the same Latin root that once signified travel provisions. The term thus reflects the broader metaphor of provision for a journey.