pyx
- pyx
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/piks/, n.
1. Eccles.
a. the box or vessel in which the reserved Eucharist or Host is kept.
b. a watch-shaped container for carrying the Eucharist to the sick.
2. Also called pyx chest. a box or chest at a mint, in which specimen coins are deposited and reserved for trial by weight and assay.
[
1350-1400; ME pyxe < L pyxis < Gk pyxís a box, orig. made of boxwood]
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▪ Christian vessel
in Christianity, vessel containing the consecrated bread used in the service of Holy Communion. Although pyxes were made in various shapes, such as that of a dove, the most common form was that of a small, cylindrical box fitted with a cover, which is generally conical. An English pyx dating from the first half of the 14th century, known as the Godsfield Pyx, is of gilt bronze with engraved foliage decorating the lid and body. Another well-known English medieval example is the Swinburne Pyx (c. 1310); a small, circular box fitted with a flat lid, it is silver gilt, with traces of translucent enamel. Changes in the liturgy of the church led to the pyx being placed upon a stand; this form is probably the predecessor of the monstrance, a vessel in which the host is exposed. The few pyxes surviving from the 17th and 18th centuries are usually flat and cylindrical.
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Universalium.
2010.
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Look at other dictionaries:
Pyx — • Small vessel in which the Holy Eucharist is carried to the sick. Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Pyx Pyx † … Catholic encyclopedia
Pyx|is — «PIHK sihs», noun, plural pyx|i|des «PIHK suh deez». 1. a boxlike vase; casket. 2. Botany. pyxidium. ╂[< Latin pyxis, idis < Greek pyxís, ídos a box; see etym. under pyx (Cf. ↑ … Useful english dictionary
pyx|is — «PIHK sihs», noun, plural pyx|i|des «PIHK suh deez». 1. a boxlike vase; casket. 2. Botany. pyxidium. ╂[< Latin pyxis, idis < Greek pyxís, ídos a box; see etym. under pyx (Cf. ↑ … Useful english dictionary
Pyx — Pyx, n. [L. pyxis a box, Gr. pyxi s a box, especially of boxwood, fr. py xos the box tree or boxwood. See {Box} a receptacle.] [Written also {pix}.] 1. (R. C. Ch.) The box, case, vase, or tabernacle, in which the host is reserved. [1913 Webster]… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Pyx — Pyx, v. t. To test as to weight and fineness, as the coins deposited in the pyx. [Eng.] Mushet. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
pyx|id|i|um — «pihk SIHD ee uhm», noun, plural i|a « ee uh». a seed vessel that bursts open transversely into a top and bottom part, the top part acting as a lid. ╂[< New Latin pyxidium < Greek pyxídion (diminutive) < pyxís, ídos box; see etym. under… … Useful english dictionary
pyx|ie — «PIHK see», noun. 1. a very small, trailing evergreen shrub that has numerous small, white, star shaped blossoms, found in pine barrens of the eastern United States. 2. Botany. a pyxidium. ╂[American English, contraction of New Latin Pyxidanthera … Useful english dictionary
Pyx — ist: ein Synonym für Faustkampf, eine Disziplin im Fünfkampf der Olympischen Spiele der Antike Pyx als Abkürzung steht für: Schiffskompass (Sternbild) (lateinisch: Pyxis), ein Sternbild des Südhimmels Diese Seite ist … Deutsch Wikipedia
pyx — [ pıks ] noun count a small container used for storing the holy bread used in Christian COMMUNION … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
pyx — c.1400, a box, esp. the vessel in which the host or consecrated bread is preserved, from L. pyxis, from Gk. pyxis box, from pyxos box tree, of uncertain origin … Etymology dictionary
pyx — (also pix) ► NOUN Christian Church ▪ the container in which the consecrated bread of the Eucharist is kept. ORIGIN Greek puxis box … English terms dictionary
