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strigil

 - 3 dictionary results

strig⋅il

  [strij-uhl]
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–noun
an instrument with a curved blade, used esp. by the ancient Greeks and Romans for scraping the skin at the bath and in the gymnasium.
Origin:
1575–85; < L strigilis, akin to stringere to touch lightly; see streak, strike

Related forms:
strig⋅il⋅ate  [strij-uh-lit, -leyt] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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strig·il   (strĭj'əl)   
n.  An instrument used in ancient Greece and Rome for scraping the skin after a bath.

[Latin strigilis; see streig- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

strigil 
"ancient tool for scraping the skin after a bath," 1581, from L. strigilis "horse-comb," from stringere (1) "draw along a surface, graze, wound, strip off, rub," from PIE base *streig- (cf. L. striga "stroke, strike, furrow," stria "furrow, channel;" O.C.S. striga "shear;" O.E. stracian "to stroke;" Ger. streichen "to stroke, rub"). Etymologists dispute over whether this is connected to L. stringere (2), root of strain (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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