Everyday LifeGreek → English
Kylix
/ˈkaɪlɪks/noun
A shallow, wide, two-handled ancient Greek wine cup on a stem.
The Greek roots
κύλιξ
kýlix
drinking cup
Literally: “cup”
Follow a root:κύλιξ1 word
The story of the word
The shape exists to be looked into. Painters put a scene at the bottom of the bowl, invisible while the wine was there and revealed as the drinker tipped it back, so the joke or the eye or the gorgon arrived at the end of the swallow. Symposiasts also flicked the dregs at a target from a kylix in the game of kottabos, which is why so many survive with worn handles.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → English
- First recorded
- 19th century
Same family
chalicecalyx
In a sentence
The kylix shows a single eye on each side, so drinking from it turned your face into a mask.