30 August 2016

pyx or pix

[piks]

noun

1. Ecclesiastical.
the box or vessel in which the reserved Eucharist or Host is kept.
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.

Origin of pyx

Middle English, Latin, Greek
1350-1400; Middle English pyxe < Latin pyxis < Greek pyxís a box, orig. made of boxwood

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for pyx

Historical Examples

The bossed kite-shield occurs in the enamel of Geoffrey Plantagenet; in the pyx named above; and in Harl.
Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe
John Hewitt

In the church of Orivellas, a pyx with a consecrated host was stolen.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 3
Henry Charles Lea

The whole question of the pyx Chapel is one of vast interest, and much of its history is still an insoluble riddle.
Westminster Abbey
Mrs. A. Murray Smith

The pyx is the box in which the Host is kept or conveyed, often made of silver or ivory.
Curiosities of Christian History
Croake James

In the cloister beyond the library entrance a heavy oak door, clamped with iron bars, leads into the chamber or chapel of the pyx.
Westminster Abbey
Mrs. A. Murray Smith

The leather cover for the pyx should not be taken into a smallpox room.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine
Austin Malley

He took a pyx from his pocket and reverently took out the desecrated Host from the box, placing it in the pyx.
A Lost Cause
Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull

If there are any crumbs left in the pyx make the patient take them.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine
Austin Malley

Again, the pyx which containeth the host, whether consecrated or not consecrated, typifieth the human memory.
Churches and Church Ornaments
William Durandus

I also hung round my neck the pyx containing the Blessed Sacrament, then I went out on the street, not knowing what way to take.
The Great War As I Saw It
Frederick George Scott

Today’s quote

Time is like a river, you cannot touch the same water twice because the flow that has passed will never pass again.

– Tanu B. Singh

On this day

30 August 580 – birth of Muhammad, prophet and founder of Islam.

30 August 1146 – European leaders optimistically outlaw the cross-bow with the belief that it will end war for evermore. The ban was flouted and cross-bows continued to be used until they were replaced by fire-arms in the 16th century.

30 August 2003 – Death of Charles Bronson, American actor. Born 3 November 1921 as Charles Dennis Buchinsky.