chalice means A large drinking cup, often having a stem and base and used especially for formal occasions and religious ceremonies. It carries an Arena rating of 1542, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, chalice ranks #730 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,327 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,382 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,426 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
chalice is pronounced /ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs/.
Why “chalice” is a great word
A large, stemmed drinking vessel, ornate and reserved for formal or sacred rites. From Middle English chalis, from Anglo-Norman/Old French chalice (calice), from Latin calix, calicem ('cup'), of uncertain ultimate origin, possibly from a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)kel-; first attested in English in the early 14th century. Unlike a goblet, which suggests secular conviviality, or a simple cup, which denotes plain utility, a chalice carries the weight of consecration. It is the cold, burnished weight in a priest's hands, the wine-dark pool passed among congregants, the gleaming centerpiece on an altar cloth—a vessel that exists not to hold a drink, but to contain a promise, transforming metal into mystery.
Etymology
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).
noun
- A large drinking cup, often having a stem and base and used especially for formal occasions and religious ceremonies.
- A kind of water-cooled pipe for smoking cannabis.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- chaliced 72% match — having a chalice vs chalice →
- chalicelike 69% match — Resembling or characteristic of a chalice. vs chalice →
- chaliceful 67% match — As much as a chalice will hold. vs chalice →
- goblet 65% match — A drinking vessel with a foot and stem. vs chalice →
- kylix 61% match — An Ancient Greek drinking cup with a stem, two handles, and a broad, shallow body. vs chalice →
- chalicist 61% match — A layperson authorized to assist the clergy, particularly within the Episcopal or Anglican Church, in administering the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion during worship services. Specifically, chalicists offer the consecrated wine to communicants following its consecration by the celebrant. vs chalice →
- winecup 61% match — A vessel from which wine is drunk. vs chalice →
- enchalice 60% match — To place in, or as if in, a chalice. vs chalice →