Mug
vessel for hot drinks with a handle
A mug is a type of cup, a drinking vessel usually intended for hot drinks such as coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Mugs have handles and usually hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cups such as teacups or coffee cups. Typically, a mug holds approximately 250–350 ml (8–12 US fl oz) of liquid. A mug-shaped vessel much larger than this tends to be called a tankard.
Mugs typically have a straight-line profile, either perpendicular or flaring. However, this is not defining for the form, and a curving profile is possible. A single vertical handle is essential (otherwise the vessel is a beaker), as is the lack of a matching saucer. A mug is a less formal style of drink container and is not usually used in formal place settings, where a teacup or coffee cup is preferred. Shaving mugs are used to assist in wet shaving.
Ancient mugs were usually carved in wood or made of pottery, while most modern ones are made of pottery materials such as bone china, earthenware, porcelain, or stoneware.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Mug” as vessel for hot drinks with a handle. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as vessel for hot drinks with a handle. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q386215. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Mug” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.