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der Kelch
chalice
A drinking vessel with a tall stem, used especially for wine or on ceremonial and religious occasions.
example
Der Priester hob den goldenen Kelch während der Messe.
The priest raised the golden chalice during Mass.
der Kelch
chalice / calyx
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Context clue
You can recognize the meaning of 'Kelch' (chalice/calyx) from the context. If it is about wine, a church, or a celebration, the drinking vessel is meant. In biological or gardening texts, it refers to the flower part. The expression 'an jemandem vorübergehen' (to pass someone by) points to the figurative meaning.
EXAMPLE
Er trank den Wein aus einem schweren Silberkelch.
He drank the wine from a heavy silver chalice.
Sentence structure of the expression
The idiom 'der Kelch geht an jemandem vorüber' (someone is spared the chalice) has a fixed structure. The person who is spared the unpleasant experience is always in the dative after the preposition 'an'.
EXAMPLE
Ich dachte, ich muss am Wochenende arbeiten, aber dieser Kelch ist an mir vorübergegangen.
I thought I would have to work on the weekend, but I was spared that.
Typical collocations
In its main meaning, 'Kelch' (chalice) is often used in fixed combinations, for example 'ein Kelch Wein' (a chalice/goblet of wine), 'aus einem Kelch trinken' (to drink from a chalice), or in a religious context as 'der heilige Kelch' (the Holy Chalice).
EXAMPLE
Zum Nachtisch bestellten wir uns einen Kelch süßen Dessertwein.
For dessert, we ordered a goblet of sweet dessert wine.
Register: technical language
The botanical meaning of 'Kelch' (calyx) as part of a flower belongs to the technical language of biology. In everyday language, the word is rarely used in this sense.
EXAMPLE
Im Biologieunterricht haben wir gelernt, den Kelch einer Blüte zu identifizieren.
In biology class, we learned to identify the calyx of a flower.
Compare with
Kelch vs Glas
glass / jar
'das Glas' and 'der Kelch' can both be drinking vessels. 'Glas' is the normal everyday word, for example for water, juice, or wine. 'Kelch' sounds much more ceremonial and refers to a vessel with a tall stem. You hear it especially with wine, at celebrations, or in religious situations. Learners can confuse the words because both can be used for drinking. In everyday life, 'Glas' is almost always correct; 'Kelch' only fits when the vessel seems especially ceremonial or traditional.
Kelch
Bei der Feier stand ein goldener Kelch auf dem Tisch.
At the celebration, there was a golden chalice on the table.
Glas
Kannst du mir bitte ein Glas für den Saft geben?
Could you please give me a glass for the juice?
In real life
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