Lecythus
/ˈlɛkɪθəs/noun
A small ancient Greek vessel, typically used to hold oil, especially olive oil.
Did you know?White-ground lekythoi were frequently placed in Athenian graves and decorated with scenes of mourning, funerary offerings, or the deceased’s imagined encounter with the afterlife.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
λήκυθος (lḗkythos)
“A small flask or oil vessel, especially one used for olive oil.”
Classical Greece
Greek
λήκυθος
“A distinctive narrow-bodied vessel with a single handle, commonly associated with oil storage and funerary use.”
Ancient Latin transliteration
Latin
lecythus
“A Greek oil flask, borrowed into Latin writing from Greek.”
17th Century
English
lecythus
“An antiquarian term for an ancient Greek oil vessel.”
Modern English
English
lecythus
“A small Greek flask, usually identified with the more common spelling “lekythos.””