  We present a detailed abundance analysis of giant stars in NGC 1978, a
massive, intermediate-age stellar cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud,
characterized by a high ellipticity and suspected to have a metallicity spread.
We analyzed 11 giants, all cluster members, by using high resolution spectra
acquired with the UVES/FLAMES spectrograph at the ESO-Very Large Telescope. We
find an iron content of [Fe/H]=-0.38 dex with very low (0.07 dex) dispersion,
and a mean heliocentric radial velocity Vr=293.1 (with an error of 0.9 km/s)
and a velocity dispersion (3.1 km/s), thus excluding the presence of a
significant metallicity, as well as velocity, spread within the cluster.
