amphora

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See also: âmphora

English

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An Etruscan amphora

Etymology

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From Latin amphora (large wine vessel, Roman unit of liquid measure), from Ancient Greek ἀμφορεύς (amphoreús, two-handled pitcher, Greek units of liquid measure), ultimately from Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀠𐀡𐀩𐀸 (a-pi-po-re-we, carried on both sides).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈæmfəɹə/
  • IPA(key): /æmˈfɔ(ː)ɹə/ (prescriptively "incorrect" but common; /ˈa-/ in Latin)
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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amphora (plural amphoras or amphorae or amphorai)

  1. (chiefly historical) A large vessel, especially a thin-necked clay vat used in ancient Greece and Rome for storing and transporting wine and oil.
    • 1914, John L[inton] Myres, Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus, New York, N.Y., page 76:
      By concurrent use of panel decoration and concentric-circle ornament, and by free employment of red paint, the fully developed style of the Geometric Period attains a wide range of rich and elaborate effects. These are best displayed on the necks and shoulders of the very large amphorai which are characteristic of this period.
    • 1973, T[homas] B[ertram] L[onsdale] Webster, Athenian Culture and Society, London: Batsford, →ISBN, page 137:
      A complete set for a ten-man symposion (an ordinary size) with ten deep cups, ten shallow cups, two mixing-bowls, two wine-jugs, two hydriai, two amphorai would cost in the neighbourhood of forty drachmai, and that would not be an unreasonable price for a rich man for a special occasion.
    • 1997, Jonathan M[ark] Hall, Ethnic Identity in Greek Antiquity, Cambridge University Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 133:
      Traditionally, the style of an artefact has been separated from its function. Thus, the function of a Greek pot – defined in terms of whether it was intended for transportation (hydriai or large amphorai), storage (pithoi and some kraters), distribution (oinokhoai) or consumption (cups, skyphoi and plates) – tends to be treated separately from any painted decoration on its surface.
  2. (historical) A Roman unit of liquid measure reckoned as the volume of 80 Roman pounds of wine and equivalent to about 26 L although differing slightly over time.
  3. (historical) A Roman unit of ship capacity, similar to tonnage.
  4. (botany) A lower valve of a fruit that opens transversely.

Synonyms

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Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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Latin

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Etymology

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From Ancient Greek ἀμφορεύς (amphoreús, two-handled pitcher, units of liquid measure). As a Roman unit, originally an elision of amphora quadrantal.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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amphora f (genitive amphorae); first declension

  1. (chiefly historical) amphora, a large vessel, especially one made of clay with two handles used for storing and transporting wine and oil
  2. (historical) amphora, a Roman unit of liquid measure equivalent to about 26 L

Declension

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First-declension noun.

The genitive plural amphorārum has the alternative form amphōrum which is especially used in contexts of liquid measure.

Synonyms

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Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Catalan: àmfora
  • French: amphore
  • Galician: ánfora
  • Italian: anfora
  • Portuguese: ânfora
  • Spanish: ánfora
  • English: amphor
  • German: Amphore
  • ? Proto-West Germanic: *ambrī (see there for further descendants)

References

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  • amphora”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • amphora”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • amphora in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • amphora in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • amphora”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia[1]
  • amphora”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • amphora”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin