Word.ws English Dictionary

flagon

Syllables: flag·on/ˈfleɪ̯ɡ(ə)n//ˈflæɡ(ə)n/

flagon noun: 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.

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.
    • Did they coyn Piss-pots, Bowls, and Flaggons, / Int' Officers of Horse and Dragoons; / And into Pikes and Musqueteers / Stamp Beakers, Cups, and Porringers?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...
    • 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...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...
    1. A flagon and its contents; as much as fills such a vessel.
      • A peſtilence on him for a madde rogue, a pourd a flagon of Reniſh on my head once; […]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...
      • [H]e had eaten many a meal, drank many a flagon, and uttered many a reproach; […] [Epitaph of Timocreon of Rhodes.]1750 September 14 (Gregorian calendar), Samuel Johnson, “No. [49]. Monday, September 4. 1750.”, in The Rambler, volume II, Edinburgh: [[…] Sands, Murray, and Cochran]; sold by W. Gordon, C. Wright...
  2. (archaic) A large bottle for drinks such as beer, cider, or wine; also, a bottle with a cap used by travellers.
    • [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⸝ […][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...
    • 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: […]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
    1. (archaic) The amount that such a bottle holds, about 2 pints or 1 litre.
      • 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.traditional, “Landlord, Fill the Flowing Bowl”

flagon meaning in Malayalam

flagon in Malayalam

കൂജ, പാനപാത്രം, ഭരണി, മദ്യപാത്രം

Examples of flagon in a sentence

  • "He's got a venison pastry and a flagon of sack in that cupboard behind him."1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 35:
  • 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.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...

Forms of flagon

pluralflagons
alternative formflaggon

Origin of flagon

From Middle English flagon, flakon [and other forms], from Middle French flacon, Old French flacon, flascon (“flask”) (modern French flacon (“vial”)), from Medieval Latin flascōnem, 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)

Words formed from flagon

Words that rhyme with flagon

Questions about flagon

What does flagon mean?
Flagon means 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.
What is flagon in Malayalam?
Flagon in Malayalam is കൂജ, പാനപാത്രം, ഭരണി. See Flagon meaning in Malayalam.
How do you use flagon in a sentence?
"He's got a venison pastry and a flagon of sack in that cupboard behind him."
What part of speech is flagon?
Flagon is a noun.
How do you pronounce flagon?
Flagon is pronounced /ˈflæɡ(ə)n/ (UK).
What is the plural of flagon?
The plural of flagon is flagons.

Words near flagon in the dictionary

  1. flagmaker
  2. flagmakers
  3. flagmaking
  4. flagman
  5. flagmen
  6. flagon
  7. flagonet
  8. flagonless
  9. flagons
  10. flagpeople
  11. flagperson

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: flagon (page history and authors); flagon (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-flagon.wav.

Cite this entry: “flagon.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/flagon. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.