Pitcher (container)

Etymology

The word pitcher comes from the 13th-century Middle English word picher, which means earthen jug. The word picher is linked to the Old French word pichier, which is the altered version of the word bichier, meaning drinking cup.

The word's origin goes as far back to the Medieval Latin word bicarium from the Greek word βῖκος : bîkos, which meant earthen vessel. Compare with Dutch beker, German Becher, English beaker and Italian bicchiere.

Ancient examples

In the typology of Greek vase shapes jug or pitcher shapes include various types of oenochoe, and the olpe.

An early mention of a pitcher occurs in the Book of Genesis, when Rebekah comes to Abraham's servant bearing a vessel with water. In the Book of Judges, Gideon gives empty pitchers containing lamps to three hundred men divided into three companies. In the gospels of Mark and Luke, Jesus tells two of his disciples to go into the city of Jerusalem, where they will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water (Greek: κεράμιον ὕδατος : kerámion hydatos), and instructs them to follow him to locate the upper room to be used for the Last Supper.

The pitcher of Marwan Ibn Mohammad, on display at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, predates the 8th century.

During the Tang dynasty, ewers fashioned from glazed earthenware bore illustrations of Persian textiles and metalwork and depicted increased cultural diversity in populated Chinese cities. Once coveted by the upper classes, ewers eventually became commonplace.

Idiomatic usage

The proverb "little pitchers have big ears" cautions adults that children are not always as naïve as they seem.

Gallery

File:Ewer MET 2 9r2 34J.jpg|Austrian ewer, 1775, silver, height: 48 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art. File:MuseAcrotiriItems-133-134-6645-2 (cropped).JPG|Minoan ewers, early 17th century BC, from Akrotiri (Santorini), Museum of Prehistoric Thera (Santorini, Greece). File:Pitcher with Black on White Geometric Designs, 900-1300, 01.1538.1756.jpg|Pitcher with Black on White Geometric Designs, Anasazi (Native American), 900-1300 AD. Brooklyn Museum. File:Jebena Ethiopian coffee pot.jpg|Jebena. A Jebena is the coffee pitcher used in Ethiopia and Eritrea and is a piece of pottery. File:Pitcher 1490-1510.jpg|Silver-gilt pitcher from the Portuguese crown jewels collection, . File:Pitcher and Glass of Yukon Gold Beer - Klondike Kate's - Dawson City - Yukon Territory - Canada.jpg|Pitcher of beer. File:Khalili Collection Islamic Art gls 0275.1.jpg|alt=9th–11th century AD. a pear-shaped ewer with almond-shaped mouth|Large Ewer, Iran or Egypt 9th–11th century AD, held by the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art. This is the largest specimen known so far of a popular Islamic glass form – the pear-shaped ewer with almond-shaped mouth. The shape can be traced back to Sasanian glass ewers. File:Ewer base with Zodiac medallions MET DP148.jpg|Ewer Base with Zodiac Medallions, first half of the 13th century, Iran. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

References

fr:Pichet

References

1. "ewer". Merriam-Webster.
2. John Rousmaniere. (1983). "The America's Cup 1851–1983". Pelham Books.
3. "pitcher". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
4. {{OEtymD. pitcher
5. "Word Origin & History".
6. "Genesis 24:15". The Bible.
7. "Judges 7:16". The Bible.
8. Mark 14:13; Luke 22;10
9. "About: Pitcher of Marawan Ibn Mohammad". Eternal Egypt.
10. "Pitcher of Marawan Ibn Mohammad". Eternal Egypt.
11. Birmingham Museum of Art. (2010). "Birmingham Museum of Art : guide to the collection". Birmingham Museum of Art.
12. "Idiom: Little pitchers have big ears". Using English.com.
13. "little pitchers have big ears". Dictionary.com, LLC.
14. "Ewer Base with Zodiac Medallions".