amphora

American  

[am-fer-uh] / ˈæm fər ə /

noun

Greek and Roman Antiquity.

plural

amphorae, amphoras

1. 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.

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amphora British  

/ ˈæmfərə /

noun

1. an ancient Greek or Roman two-handled narrow-necked jar for oil, wine, etc

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Other Word Forms

• amphoral adjective

Etymology

Origin of amphora

1300–50; Middle English < Latin < Greek amphoreús, equivalent to am ( phi )- amphi- + phoreús bearer (i.e., handle), akin to phérein to bear

Example Sentences

Many of the amphorae were covered with written notations, which indicated previous uses such as storing olives or lentils.

From Literature

This 115-foot hill is actually an artificial mound, made up of fragments of millions of clay amphorae.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sometimes, the shapes in “Pluriverse assembly” suggest familiar objects — a simple light bulb, for instance, or a changing typology of ancient Greek vases, like an amphora or an oenochoe jug.

From Los Angeles Times

Goods like olive oil and wine were imported to Britain using large ceramic jars known as amphora, but Romano-Britons "produced their own big jars which could rival this pottery", said Mr Biddulph.

From BBC

Over two days at sea this May, the vehicle mapped the site and determined that the amphorae rested in a vessel half-embedded in sediment.

From New York Times