A large drinking cup, typically made of ceramic, glass, or metal, often with a lid and handle, traditionally used for serving beer.
From German 'Stein' meaning 'stone,' originally used because the first beer mugs were literally made of stone. The word entered English in the 19th century as German beer culture became fashionable in Britain and America.
Traditional German beer steins with lids were designed to keep insects out of beer, a practical solution when flies and mosquitoes were serious brewery problems—the hinged lid became decorative after refrigeration and sanitation made it unnecessary, but we kept it anyway.
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