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

• Old English flasce, flaxe (“bottle, flask”)
• Old High German flasca, flaska (“bottle, flask”) (German Flasche)
• Old Norse flaska (Danish flaske)

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.
   • 1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]. Canto II.”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, page 43:

     Did they coyn Piss-pots, Bowls, and Flaggons, / Int' Officers of Horse and Dragoons; / And into Pikes and Musqueteers / Stamp Beakers, Cups, and Porringers?

   • 1819 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rip Van Winkle”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, pages 75–76:

     He was naturally a thirsty soul, and was soon tempted to repeat the draught. One taste provoked another, and he reiterated his visits to the flagon so often, that at length his senses were overpowered, his eyes swam in his head, his head gradually declined, and he fell into a deep sleep. […] the flagon—"Oh ! that flagon ! that wicked flagon !" thought Rip—"What excuse shall I make to Dame Van Winkle?"

   • 1828 May 15, [Walter Scott], chapter V, in Chronicles of the Canongate. Second Series. […] (The Fair Maid of Perth), volume II, Edinburgh: […] [Ballantyne and Co.] for Cadell and Co.; London: Simpkin and Marshall, →OCLC, page 160:

     Should I ever fill the throne, every Scots lad shall have his flagon in one hand, and the other around his lass's neck, and manhood shall be tried by kisses and bumpers, not by dirks and dourlachs; […]

   1. A flagon and its contents; as much as fills such a vessel.
      • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

        A peſtilence on him for a madde rogue, a pourd a flagon of Reniſh on my head once; […]

      • 1750 September 15 (Gregorian calendar), Samuel Johnson, “No. [49]. Tuesday, September 4. 1750.”, in The Rambler, volume II, Edinburgh: [[…] Sands, Murray, and Cochran]; sold by W. Gordon, C. Wright, J. Yair, […], published 1750, →OCLC, page 182:

        [H]e had eaten many a meal, drank many a flagon, and uttered many a reproach; […] [Epitaph of Timocreon of Rhodes.]

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 2 pints or 1 litre.
      • traditional, “Landlord, Fill the Flowing Bowl”‎:

        Three Jolly Coachmen sat, all in an English tavern,
        Three Jolly Coachmen sat, all in an English tavern,
        And they decided that, and they decided that,
        And they decided that: they'd have another flagon.

Alternative forms

• flaggon (archaic)

Derived terms

• flagonet
• flagonless
• swill-flagon

 

Translations

large vessel resembling a jug, usually with a handle, lid, and spout, for serving drinks such as cider or wine at a table; such a vessel used to hold the wine for the ritual of Holy Communion

Chinese: Mandarin: 酒壺／酒壶 (zh) (jiǔhú) Hungarian: kancsó (hu)

flagon and its contents; as much as fills such a vessel

large bottle for drinks; bottle with a cap used by travellers

Bulgarian: гарафа f (garafa) Finnish: leili (fi) Galician: caneco (gl) m Greek: Ancient: λάγυνος m (lágunos) Italian: boccia (it) f, boccione m, damigiana (it) f, fiasco (it) m Plautdietsch: Buddel (nds) f Spanish: jarro (es) m

amount that such a bottle holds

See also

• pitcher
• stein
• tankard

 

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 ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2021; “flagon, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

• flagon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Esperanto

Noun

flagon

1. accusative singular of flago