Etymograph

English

rhyton

Rhyton comes from Ancient Greek ῥυτόν, from ῥέω ‘to flow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srew-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srew-1‘to flow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sréweti1‘to flow’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hréwō1‘to flow, stream’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῥέω2rhéō‘to flow’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῥυτόν2rhutón
  6. Englishtodayrhyton2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ῥέω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English rhyton

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srew-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ῥέω‘to flow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sréwetiWiktionary, Ancient Greek ῥέω‘to flow’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hréwōWiktionary, Ancient Greek ῥέω‘to flow, stream’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῥέωWiktionary, English rhytonrhéō‘to flow’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῥυτόνWiktionary, English rhytonrhutón
  6. EnglishtodayrhytonWiktionary, English rhyton

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *srew- ‘to flow’

stream, rhythm, maelstrom, rheumatism, rheumatology, 42 more

through Ancient Greek ῥέω ‘to flow’

rheumatic, hemorrhoid, rheology, 7 more

Today it means

noun A container from which fluids are intended to be drunk, having one handle and usually a base in the form of a head.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rhyton”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek ῥέω. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *srew- / rhyton