ψυκτήρ → wine cooler

[Jeanne]

First, my apologiies for the lack of Greek script.  I'm looking for a precise translation of psuktnra (n=eta)

I believe the word is a particular type of cup?  But I'm not sure.  it's found in Plutarch's Life of Alexander, 72.1, and appears in the phrase:

... kai psuktnra megan ekpiwn oinou ...

I translated this as "and drank up a large beaker of wine" but I'd like to know exactly what a psuktnra IS.  Don't have my Middle Liddell handy, just a little pocket thing that isn't useful for this kind of thing.

Thanks.

[wings]

"Ψυκτήρ" was a ceramic pot or jug to keep the wine cool, i.e a wine cooler, deriving from the verb "ψύχω" which is also used in Modern Greek to mean "cool".

You can have a look at this jug at http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Pottery.htm & http://www.onassis.gr/greek/assoc/enim_deltio/24_04/p36.html

Also look at:
...However, this boiled grape juice [other names ‘σίραιος’ (syrup) and ‘έψημα’] might be just another kind of wine (very sweet), or even an ingredient the ancient Hellenes used for their wine-cocktails.  Some times these wine-drinks were served cold.  It may sound hard to believe, but there is evidence proving that the ancient Hellenes, like other ancient people I suppose, had coolers for their drinks (‘ψυκτηρ’, cooler).
http://www.swan.ac.uk/classics/staff/ter/grst/student%20papers/Ancient%20food%20production.htm

So, I am afraid your suggested translation ("a large beaker of wine") is not accurate.

[Jeanne]

Thank you!

[banned8]

You can also see this here:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=72

When he came to Ecbatana in Media and had transacted the business that was urgent, he was once more much occupied with theatres and festivals, since three thousand artists had come to him from Greece. But during this time it chanced that Hephaestion had a fever; and since, young man and soldier that he was, he could not submit to a strict regimen, as soon as Glaucus, his physician, had gone off to the theatre, he sat down to breakfast, ate a boiled fowl, drank a huge cooler of wine, fell sick, and in a little while died.

More liberal translations have: drank a large draught of wine.

[Jeanne]

Yeah, I've actually got Plutarch on it.  I just wanted to take a look at the literal wording rather than go by the translation.  For instance, "huge" may be overstating "megas."  I wanted to know what the actual piece of pottery was.  I do, in fact, know psykter, and feel rather dumb for not recognizing it, but I think my brain was momentarily out to lunch, and my good dictionary is in my office, not at home.  I should have recognized the word, really.

In any case, I appreciate the quick assistance. :-)