(Latin: reed)
1) fistula, or siphon, a pipe or reed used in ancient days for the Communion of the clergy and people, a custom which survived among the Cistercians until the Reformation. Now at solemn papal high Mass, the chalice is brought from the altar to the throne of the pope where he absorbs its contents through a golden pipe.
2) In the Old Testament, a scented reed yielding perfume, used in the composition of spices burned in sacrifices (Isaiah 43; Jeremiah 6), and in the oil of unction (Exodus 30).
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