A chalice (from Latin 'calix', cup) is a goblet intended to hold drink. In general religious terms, it is a goblet intended for drinking some beverage during a ceremony. In Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Lutheranism and some other Christian denominatons, a chalice is a wine cup used during the Eucharist, also called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. Chalices are often made of precious metal, and they are sometimes richly jewelled. They have been used since ancient times. In Roman Catholicism, priests will often receive chalices from members of their families when first ordained.

The symbol of Unitarian Universalism is a flaming chalice. The Holy Grail is sometimes thought to have been a chalice.

Poisoned Chalice
The term "poisoned chalice" is applied to a

thing or situation which appears to be good when it is received or experienced by someone, but then becomes or is found to be bad.

Da Vinci Code
In the book 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown it is suggested that a chalice is infact a word for a woman. It says that the word chalice represents the womb of a woman.

GOBLET ( CALICE )
Glass with a conic shape. It rises from a stem which can be either long and short. The word calice identifies each glass with a foot. Shape, dimension and style can be various and, above all regarding English wine glasses, they determine exactly the period of production.

Goblets can be plain or decorated with engravings, carved, enamelled, gilt etc.

KINDS and SHAPES

Campana (bell): it has the shape of a bell turn upside down, sometimes with a full bottom or slightly flared.

Cardo (thistle): the shape that recalls that of the thistle can be just a hint, or emphasized with the lower part like a bowl and the upper one like a funnel.

Conico (conical): it can end in a tip or in a rounded bottom and the upper part is narrower than the one in the cardo goblet.

Coppa (cup): it varies from the classic wine goblet with a round container and large mouth, to the champagne cup, large and not very deep. Many of the goblets, meant to serve analcoholic drinks and desserts, have a cup-shaped mouth.

Esagonale (hexagonal): the rounded bottom rises making an hexagon, sometimes an octagon.

Fiore (flower): the u-shaped goblets gets larger at the mouth making a sort of a flower corolla.

Flute: very thin and tall goblet with the shape of a trumpet or of a flute.

Imbuto : it has a very open shape,with a large mouth: it ends in a tip.

Ovoidale: it has a slightly rounded shape, it gets narrower towards the mouth.

Secchiello: it has a cylindric shape with a flat bottom. It can be slightly flared, with a light bottleneck in the middle.

Sfaccettato: the inside is round, while the outside presents lots of facets: it exists only in heavy crystal goblets. In the Christian liturgy the goblet is the vase that contains the consecrated wine for the Mass.