flagon

English
WOTD – 14 December 2021

Etymology
A 16th-century birchwood flagon (sense 1) for ale.[n 1]
A 19th-century flagon (sense 1) of silver gilt, ruby glass, enamels, and stones, designed by John Hardman Powell for holding Holy Communion wine.[n 2]

From Middle English flagon, flakon [and other forms],[1] from Middle French flacon, Old French flacon, flascon (“flask”) (modern French flacon (“vial”)), from Medieval Latin flascōnem,[2] the accusative singular of Late Latin flascō (“bottle; glass or earthenware vessel for wine; portable barrel”), from Frankish *flaska (“bottle; flask”), from Proto-Germanic *flaskǭ (“bottle; flask; vessel covered with plaiting”), from Proto-Germanic *flehtaną (“to braid, plait”) (from the practice of plaiting or wrapping bottles in straw casing), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- (“to fold; to plait, weave”). The English word is a doublet of flacon, flask, and fiasco.

cognates

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /flæɡ(ə)n/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /flæɡən/
  • Rhymes: -æɡən
  • Hyphenation: fla‧gon

Noun

flagon (plural flagons)

  1. A large vessel resembling a jug, usually with a handle, lid, and spout, for serving drinks such as cider or wine at a table; specifically (Christianity), such a vessel used to hold the wine for the ritual of Holy Communion.
    1. A flagon and its contents; as much as fills such a vessel.
  2. (archaic) A large bottle for drinks such as beer, cider, or wine; also, a bottle with a cap used by travellers.
    • [1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum xiv”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book VII (in Middle English), [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC, leaf 117, verso; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC, page 234, lines 6–9:
      [G]o thou in an hermytage of myn here by⸝ and there ſhalt thow bere with the of my wyn in two flagans of ſiluer⸝ they ar of two galons⸝ and alſo two caſt of brede with fatte veneſon bake and deynte foules⸝ […]
      [G]o thou in a hermitage of mine here by, and there shalt thou bear with thee of my wine in two flagons of silver, they are of two gallons, and also two cast of bread with fat venison baked and dainty fowls, […]]
    • 1619, Michael Drayton, “[Odes.] The Sacrifice to Apollo.”, in Cyril Brett, editor, Minor Poems of Michael Drayton, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, published 1907, →OCLC, page 65, lines 25–30:
      Bring forth your Flaggons (fill'd with sparkling Wine) / Whereon swolne Bacchvs, crowned with a Vine, / Is grauen, and fill out, / It well bestowing, / To eu'ry Man about, / In Goblets flowing: […]
    • 1955 October 20, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “Minas Tirith”, in The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings […], New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published December 1978, →ISBN, book V, page 39:
      They got there bread, and butter, and cheese and apples; the last of the winter store, wrinkled but sound and sweet; and a leather flagon of new-drawn ale, and wooden platters and cups.
    1. The amount that such a bottle holds, about 1.13 litres.

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Notes
  1. From the collection of the Nordic Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.
  2. From the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, United Kingdom.

References
  1. “flagō̆n, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. “flagon, n.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2021; “flagon, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

Esperanto

Noun

flagon

  1. accusative singular of flago
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