Pyx

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɪks/

Definitions

1. A small container traditionally used to hold the Eucharist for the distribution during religious ceremonies
2. A specialized vessel that serves to protect and transport consecrated elements within a religious context
3. A compact box designed to securely transport the consecrated bread during church services

Etymology: The word "pyx" began as the name of a box tree. In ancient Greek, "púxos" meant boxwood, and the suffix "-is" turned it into "púxis," a small box made of that wood. Latin borrowed the form as "pyxis," and it passed through Medieval Latin and Old French, where "pixe" came to mean a vessel for holding the consecrated Host, the bread used in the Eucharist. English adopted the word in this sense, and the container it names is still the one referred to in churches today. The Greek original was so closely tied to the wood that the containers were often carved from it, which explains why the name stuck to a small box rather than to the tree. The word also kept a second, anatomical meaning in Latin, where "pyxis" could refer to the hip socket, likened to a small cup-shaped box.