Meanings
plural loving cups
- A large cup with two or more handles, passed around for all to drink from
Good-fellowship is like a loving cup; it must be passed around to make it of value.
1909, The Loving Cup: original toasts by original folks, page 62 more examples
Each Branch of Local remitting not less than $50 and under $100 in memberships and subscriptions will receive a library valued at $5 and a loving cup.
1915 May, The Crisis, volume 10, number 1, whole number 55, 294Harriet's aunt, Miss Darcy, had lost her father's signet ring, and a loving cup [...]
1984, Winston Graham, The Loving Cup: a novel of Cornwall, 1813-1815, page 173 - A ceremonial version of such a cup awarded as a trophy.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna large metal vessel with two handles that is awarded as a trophy to the winner of a competition
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Named around 1810 for the sense of unity its use brought.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
loving cup. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loving%20cup
“loving cup.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loving%20cup. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “loving cup,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loving%20cup.
Source: loving cup on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.