strigil

[ strij-uhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an instrument with a curved blade, used especially by the ancient Greeks and Romans for scraping the skin at the bath and in the gymnasium.

strigil

/ ˈstrɪdʒɪl /

a curved blade used by the ancient Romans and Greeks to scrape the body after bathing
architect a decorative fluting, esp one in the shape of the letter S as used in Roman architecture

Origin of strigil¹

1575–85; < Latin strigilis, akin to stringere to touch lightly; streak, strike

Origin of strigil¹

C16: from Latin strigilis, from stringere to graze

A bronze strigil lay across the threshold, where it had been dropped in someone's hasty flight.

Galen generally followed the teaching of Hippocrates on gymnastics, and wrote a whole book on the merits of using the strigil.

The guttus was a small vessel with a narrow neck adapted for dropping oil on the strigil to lubricate its working edge.

Beside him, a diminutive figure of a nude boy holding a strigil.

Having warmed the fat of a squirrel in a strigil, instil it.

April 24, 2024gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

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