n. Among the Greeks and Romans, a vessel, usually tall and slender, having two handles or ears, a narrow neck, and generally a sharp-pointed base for insertion into a stand or into the ground: used for holding wine, oil, honey, grain, etc.n. A liquid measure of the Greeks and Romans.n. In botany, the permanent basal portion of a pyxidium.n. [capitalized] [NL.] In zoology: A genus of Polygastrica. Ehrenberg. A genus of coleopterous insects. Wollaston.