Chalice Meaning
/ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Definition
nounA large drinking cup, often having a stem and base and used especially for formal occasions and religious ceremonies.
nounA kind of water-cooled pipe for smoking cannabis.
Sentence Examples
Synonyms & Antonyms
Word Origin & History
From Middle English chalis, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French chalice, collateral form of calice, borrowed from Latin calix, calicem (“cup”), of uncertain etymology. In view of Umbrian skalçeta (“sacrifical vessel”), perhaps from a Proto-Italic *(s)kalik-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel-. Pokorny considered a parallel formation in Sanskrit कलश (kaláśa-, “(water-)jar, tub, pot, dish”), for Proto-Indo-European *kel-eḱ-, but De Vaan finds this unlikely. Alternatively, borrowed from Ancient Greek κύλιξ (kúlix) or an unattested variant thereof, maybe with contamination from κάλυξ (kálux, “shell, calyx”), but it is also possible that all were borrowed from related substrate words. Possible doublet of calyx and kelch. Compare Sumerian 𒃲(GAL).