Definition

1. Noun:
   • A basin for holy water: A stoup is a fixed stone basin or container, often found at the entrance of a church, that holds holy water for the faithful to bless themselves.
   • An archaic drinking vessel: Historically, a stoup was a drinking cup, flagon, or tankard, typically for ale or wine.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Basin for holy water):
  • The worshipper dipped her fingers in the marble stoup before entering the nave.
  • A small, intricately carved stoup was set into the wall by the church door.
• Noun (Archaic drinking vessel):
  • The medieval innkeeper filled the traveler's stoup with ale.
  • In the old tale, the knight drank deeply from a silver stoup.

Advanced Usage

• The word is now largely archaic, especially in its meaning as a drinking vessel. Its primary modern use is in a religious or historical context.
• It can sometimes be used poetically or in historical fiction to evoke a sense of the past.

Variants and Related Words

• Stoop (noun): While a different word, it is a common homophone. A "stoop" is a small porch or set of steps leading to the entrance of a building.
• Font (noun): In a church context, a "font" is a similar vessel used for baptismal water, not to be confused with a stoup for holy water.

Synonyms

• For the basin: holy water basin, holy water font, aspersorium.
• For the vessel: flagon, tankard, goblet, chalice (though a chalice is specifically for wine in Christian ritual).

Notes on Different Meanings

• The two primary meanings are distinct and belong to different contexts (ecclesiastical vs. historical/secular). The context of the sentence will always clarify which meaning is intended.

Noun

1. basin for holy water
2. an archaic drinking vessel