Amphora - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

am·pho·ra

Audio Help [am-fer-uh] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -pho·rae

Audio Help [-fuh-ree] Pronunciation Key, -pho·ras. Greek and Roman Antiquity.

a large two-handled storage jar having an oval body, usually tapering to a point at the base, with a pair of handles extending from immediately below the lip to the shoulder: used chiefly for oil, wine, etc., and, set on a foot, as a commemorative vase awarded the victors in contests such as the Panathenaic games.

Compare pelike, stamnos.

[Origin: 1300–50; ME < L < Gk amphoreús, equiv. to am(phi)- amphi- + phoreús bearer (i.e., handle), akin to phérein to bear

]

—Related forms

am·pho·ral, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Amphora

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

am·pho·ra Audio Help (ām'fər-ə) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. am·pho·rae (-fə-rē') or am·pho·ras
A two-handled jar with a narrow neck used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to carry wine or oil.

[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek amphoreus, short for amphiphoreus : amphi-, amphi- + phoreus, bearer (from pherein, to bear; see bher-¹ in Indo-European roots).]

am'pho·ral adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
amphora

1323, "two-handled vessel for holding wine, oil, etc.," from L. amphora from Gk. amphoreus, contraction of amphiphoreus, from amphi- "on both sides" + phoreus "bearer." Also a liquid measure in the ancient world, in Gk. equal to 9 gallons, in Rome to 6 gallons, 7 pints.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

amphora
noun
an ancient jar with two handles and a narrow neck; used to hold oil or wine

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Amphora

Am"pho*ra\, n.; pl. Amophor[ae]. [L., fr. Gr. ?, ?, a jar with two handles; ? + ? bearer, ? to bear. Cf. Ampul.] Among the ancients, a two-handled vessel, tapering at the bottom, used for holding wine, oil, etc.

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