A
kylix (; pronounced , "" or , "", also spelled
cylix; pl.:
kylikes , "" or , "") is a type of
wine-drinking
cup with a broad relatively shallow body raised on a stem from a foot and usually with two horizontal handles disposed symmetrically. The almost flat interior circle on the interior base of the cup, called the
tondo, was the primary surface for painted decoration in the
Black-figure or
Red-figure styles of the 6th and 5th century BC. As the representations would be covered with wine, the scenes would only be revealed in stages as the wine was drained. They were often designed with this in mind, with scenes created so that they would surprise or titillate the drinker as they were revealed. The word comes from the
Greek kylix "cup," which is cognate with Latin
calix, the source of the English word "
chalice" but not related to the similar Greek word
calyx which means "husk" or "pod".