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strigil

[ strij-uhl ]

noun

  1. an instrument with a curved blade, used especially by the ancient Greeks and Romans for scraping the skin at the bath and in the gymnasium.


strigil

/ ˈstrɪdʒɪl /

noun

  1. a curved blade used by the ancient Romans and Greeks to scrape the body after bathing
  2. architect a decorative fluting, esp one in the shape of the letter S as used in Roman architecture
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • strig·il·ate [strij, -, uh, -lit, -leyt], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of strigil1

1575–85; < Latin strigilis, akin to stringere to touch lightly; streak, strike
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Word History and Origins

Origin of strigil1

C16: from Latin strigilis, from stringere to graze
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Example Sentences

Another holds a sponge for oils and a strigil, an instrument for scraping oil and sweat from the body.

Customers at ancient Roman bathhouses attended poetry readings once they had cleansed pores with strigil scrapings.

She rubbed her with oil, scraped her with a strigil, scrubbed her hands and feet with pumice, and washed her hair, pouring jug after jug of water over her.

After competing, athletes returned to the locker room to scrape the oil and sweat from their bodies with an instrument made for this purpose, a strigil.

“So they carried a small jug of olive oil, which they rubbed onto their bodies and then scraped off with a metal scraper, called a strigil.”

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