amphora

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”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈæm.fə.ɹə/, /æmˈfɔːɹ.ə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈæm(p).fɚ.ə/, /æm(p)ˈfoɹ.ə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːɹə

amphora (plural amphoras or amphorae or amphorai)

1. (chiefly historical) A large, two-handled 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.

• (unit of liquid volume): Roman amphora, quadrantal, amphora quadrantal

• (large vessel): bottle, jug, keg, barrel, cask, tun
• (unit of liquid volume): lingula (1/2304 amphora), cyathus (1/576 amphora), acetabulum (1/384 amphora), quartarius (1/192 amphora), hemina (1/96 amphora), sextarius (1/48 amphora), congius (⅛ amphora), urna (½ amphora), culeus (20 amphoras)

• amphoric, amphora quadrantal

• amorpha

• amfora (Late Latin, prescriptive)
• ampora (Late Latin, proscribed)

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

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈam.pʰɔ.ra]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈam.fo.ra]

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

• The genitive plural is typically amphorum in contexts of liquid measure.

First-declension noun (alternative genitive plural in -um).

• (unit of liquid measure): quadrantal, amphora quadrantal

• (unit of liquid volume): lingula (1/2304 amphora), cyathus (1/576 amphora), acetabulum (1/384 amphora), quartarius (1/192 amphora), hemina (1/96 amphora), sextarius (1/48 amphora), congius (⅛ amphora), urna (½ amphora), culeus (20 amphorae)

• amphorālis
• amphorārius
• amphoricus
• ampulla

• 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)

• “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, 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