What does cylix mean?
A cylix is a distinctive type of drinking vessel from ancient Greece: a broad, shallow bowl with two horizontal handles set near the rim, raised on a narrow stem and spreading foot. Its wide interior surface made it an ideal canvas for the painted scenes that adorn many surviving examples, from athletic contests to mythological episodes, rendered in the black-figure and red-figure techniques prized by collectors and scholars today. At the Greek symposium, a formal drinking party, the cylix served wine mixed with water, passed among guests reclining on couches. The word appears mainly in archaeological writing, museum catalogues, and discussions of classical art, where it carries connotations of refined craftsmanship and elite conviviality. Closely related to the transliterated form 'kylix', which many modern scholars prefer, the cylix offers a window into both Greek daily life and the history of ceramic painting, making it a rewarding word for anyone interested in antiquity.
nounA cylix is a shallow, wide-mouthed drinking cup with two horizontal handles and a slender stem on a footed base, characteristic of ancient Greek pottery. The term may also refer more generally to any cup-shaped vessel of similar form.
- A shallow, two-handled stemmed wine cup of ancient Greek origin, typically decorated with figured scenes.
- Any cup-shaped vessel resembling this form.
"The museum's newest acquisition was an Attic black-figure cylix depicting athletes at the palaestra."
"The archaeologist carefully lifted the fragmentary cylix from the tomb, its red-figure decoration still vivid after twenty-five centuries."
"Guests admired the silver cylix displayed as the centerpiece of the classical antiquities collection."
The standard plural follows the Latinized pattern; the anglicized 'cylixes' also occurs but is less common in scholarly writing.
"The exhibition brought together thirty Attic cylices spanning two centuries of vase painting."
The cylix was the wine glass of ancient Greece — so wide and shallow that drinkers reclining at a symposium could swirl it without spilling.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cylix
The word derives from the ancient Greek κύλιξ (kylix), the standard term for the stemmed wine cup used at symposia. English borrowed it through the Latinized form 'cylix', which accounts for the 'c' spelling. It shares a distant connection with 'chalice', which came into English via Latin calic-, ultimately linked to the same Greek root family that also produced 'calyx', the botanical term for a flower's sepals. The word entered English usage during the period of growing European engagement with classical antiquity, when scholars adopted Latinate forms of Greek terms for artifacts.
Related word forms
How cylix is actually used
A learned word encountered chiefly in archaeology, art history, and museum contexts. In scholarly literature the transliterated Greek spelling 'kylix' is now often preferred over the Latinized 'cylix', though both appear in print. The plural follows Latinized conventions.
Easily confused with cylix
A calyx is the outer whorl of sepals in a flower, whereas a cylix is a stemmed Greek drinking cup; the similarity comes from their shared relationship to the Greek root for a hollow vessel.