Pythagorean cup
Pythagorean cup noun: a practical joke device in a form of a drinking cup, sometimes used to make statements about greed. When it is filled beyond a certain point, a siphoning effect causes the cup to drain its entire contents through the base.
Noun
Pythagorean cup (plural Pythagorean cups)
- A practical joke device in a form of a drinking cup, sometimes used to make statements about greed. When it is filled beyond a certain point, a siphoning effect causes the cup to drain its entire contents through the base.
- Synonyms:
- greedy cup, Tantalus cup, beaker of righteousness
Synonyms of Pythagorean cup
- greedy cup
- Tantalus cup
- beaker of righteousness
Forms of Pythagorean cup
| plural | Pythagorean cups |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Pythagoras cup |
Origin of Pythagorean cup
Credited to Pythagoras of Samos.
Questions about Pythagorean cup
- What does Pythagorean cup mean?
- Pythagorean cup means a practical joke device in a form of a drinking cup, sometimes used to make statements about greed. When it is filled beyond a certain point, a siphoning effect causes the cup to drain its entire contents through the base.
- What part of speech is Pythagorean cup?
- Pythagorean cup is a noun.
- What is the plural of Pythagorean cup?
- The plural of Pythagorean cup is Pythagorean cups.
Words near Pythagorean cup in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Pythagorean cup (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.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “Pythagorean cup.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pythagorean_cup. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.