Word
chalice
Phoneticschal·ice
US/ˈtʃæɫɪs/
UK/tʃˈælɪs/
Definition
n. a large, decorated cup used in religious ceremonies, especially for holding wine during a church service.
n. a large, ornate cup used in Christian liturgy for holding wine during the Eucharist.
Examples
“The priest held the chalice high during the ceremony.”
“The museum displayed a gold chalice that had been used in the royal chapel for centuries.”
“Restoring the ancient chalice required careful cleaning of the intricate filigree work that had been tarnished by centuries of candle smoke and frequent use.”
Examples
simple
“The priest held the chalice high during the ceremony.”
contextual
“The museum displayed a gold chalice that had been used in the royal chapel for centuries.”
complex
“Restoring the ancient chalice required careful cleaning of the intricate filigree work that had been tarnished by centuries of candle smoke and frequent use.”
Real-World Examples
“At the same time there appear to be few candidates willing to step up to the post, which is increasingly being viewed as a poisoned chalice.” “Over to the 46-year-old, who has zero doubt the City job is no chalice laced with poison.” 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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
poisoned chalice — Something which is initially regarded as advantageous but which is later recognized to be disadvantageous or harmful; an apparently beneficial or benign instrument or scheme for causing death or harm.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/chalice