Word.ws English Dictionary

scyphate

scyphate adjective: concave or cup-shaped.

Adjective

scyphate (comparative more scyphate, superlative most scyphate)

  1. Concave or cup-shaped.
    • The curious seal, now for the first time published, presents an example of the scyphate, or dished form, which is of rare occurrence.1856, W. S. W., A. W., “Examples of Mediæval Seals”, in The Archaeological Journal, volume XIII, London, page 64
    • In the later reigns, a coinage of small bronze pieces, slightly scyphate, accompany the aspers.1967 August 6, Frank Graham, “Coin Corner”, in The Press Democrat, 110th year, number 247, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Noun

scyphate (plural scyphates)

  1. A concave or cup-shaped coin.
    • The hoard from Tepe Maranjan near Kabul (Curiel, 1953: 101–131) containing 368 Sasanian silver drachms—326 of Shapur II, 28 of Ardeshir II and 14 of Shapur III (a.d. 383–388) with 12 gold Kushano-Sasanian scyphates, provides important evidence for the previous metal currency of eastern Afghanistan...1978, Frank Raymond Allchin, Norman Hammond, The Archaeology of Afghanistan from Earliest Times to the Timurid Period, Academic Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 251
    • Since the radiate sun god appears in the Pahlavi series of KS coins, in one instance seemingly combined with attributes of Śiva, it is probable that the Bactrian uncial inscribed scyphates show a deity who combines Śiva (Oesho) with the sun god (Mithra, Miiro, Mihira).1981, Monumentum Georg Morgenstierne, Leiden: E.J. Brill, page 96

Examples of scyphate in a sentence

  • Further, atleast^([sic]) some of the coins are slightly scyphate also.2012, Numismatic Digest, Numismatic Society of Bombay, page 7:
  • In a light copper series of issues belonging to Peroz C and Peroz D, the imagery closely imitates that of the scyphates.1985, Museum Notes, American Numismatic Society, →ISBN, page 240:

Forms of scyphate

Adjective
comparativemore scyphate
superlativemost scyphate
Noun
pluralscyphates

Origin of scyphate

From Latin scyphātus, erroneously interpreted as scyphus (“cup, goblet”) + -ātus; in reality, probably derives from Arabic شَفَة (šafa, “edge, rim”), and refers to the distinctive and conspicuous border of the early histamena gold coins.

Questions about scyphate

What does scyphate mean?
Scyphate means concave or cup-shaped.
How do you use scyphate in a sentence?
Further, atleast^([sic]) some of the coins are slightly scyphate also.
What part of speech is scyphate?
Scyphate can be an adjective or a noun.

Words near scyphate in the dictionary

  1. scymitars
  2. Scymraeg
  3. scyntigraphy
  4. scyon
  5. scyons
  6. scyphate
  7. scyphates
  8. scyphi
  9. scyphiform
  10. scyphiphorous
  11. scyphistoma

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: scyphate (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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