amphora

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See also: âmphora

English

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An Etruscan amphora

Etymology

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

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

Noun

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.

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Translations

Anagrams

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Noun

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

First-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative amphora amphorae
Genitive amphorae amphorum
amphorārum
Dative amphorae amphorīs
Accusative amphoram amphorās
Ablative amphorā amphorīs
Vocative amphora amphorae

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

Synonyms

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Descendants

  • 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

  • “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
  • “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
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