# cupping

Pronunciation: say "KUP-ing" /ˈkʌpɪŋ/

## Noun

1. A traditional therapy in which heated glass cups are applied to the skin, supposedly to draw blood toward the surface.
   - Simple: A treatment where warm glass cups are placed on the skin to pull blood near the surface.
   - _She booked a session of cupping to relieve the tension in her shoulders._
   - _Practitioners warm the air inside each glass before pressing it down during cupping._
2. The act of forming something into a curved, cup-like shape.
   - Simple: The act of shaping something so it curves inward like a cup.
   - _Careful cupping of the clay gave the dish its rounded base._
   - _The gentle cupping of the leaf channeled rainwater toward its stem._
3. The taking of a small amount of a drink such as tea or coffee into the mouth to taste it; also, a session where tasting is done.
   - Simple: Tasting a small sip of a drink like tea or coffee to judge its flavor.
   - _The roaster held a cupping each morning to check the day's batches._
   - _Through careful cupping, she detected a hint of citrus in the brew._

## Verb

4. Present participle of cup. — present participle and gerund of cup
   - Simple: Present participle of cup. Use this -ing form when the action is happening right now.
   - _The nurse was cupping water in her hands to wash the wound._
   - _Cupping her ear, she leaned closer to catch the whisper._

## Noun

5. A medical procedure that creates a partial vacuum over a spot on the skin to draw blood to the surface or out of the body. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old medical method of drawing blood to or from the skin by making a vacuum over the spot.
   - _The physician prescribed cupping to relieve the congestion in his chest._
   - _Old ledgers record cupping among the remedies offered by the town barber._
6. A suction operation for drawing pus from an abscess by forming a partial vacuum over the affected spot. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old method of pulling pus out of an abscess by making a vacuum over it.
   - _The barber-surgeon turned to cupping when the abscess refused to drain on its own._
   - _She underwent cupping over the inflamed swelling to relieve the pressure._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5–6** — From Middle English cupping, equivalent to cup combined with the suffix -ing.
**Meaning 4** — Formed from cup combined with the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cupping (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).