# amphora
## English
### 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: /ˈæmfəɹə/
* IPA: /æmˈfɔ(ː)ɹə/ (prescriptively "incorrect" but common; /ˈa-/ in Latin)
* Audio (US):(file)

### Noun

amphora (plural amphoras or amphorae or amphorai)
* (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.
* (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.
* (historical) A Roman unit of ship capacity, similar to tonnage.
* (botany) A lower valve of a fruit that opens transversely.

#### Synonyms

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

#### Coordinate terms

* (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)

#### Derived terms

* amphoral
* amphoralike
* French amphora
* Greek amphora
* Roman amphora

#### Related terms

* amphoric, amphora quadrantal

#### Translations
### Anagrams

* amorpha

## Latin
### Alternative forms

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

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈam.pʰo.ra/, [ˈämpʰɔrä]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈam.fo.ra/, [ˈämforä]

### Noun

amphora f (genitive amphorae); first declension
* (chiefly historical) amphora, a large vessel, especially one made of clay with two handles used for storing and transporting wine and oil
* (historical) amphora, a Roman unit of liquid measure equivalent to about 26 L

#### Declension

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

#### Synonyms

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

#### Coordinate terms

* (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)

#### Derived terms

* amphorālis
* amphorārius
* amphoricus
* ampulla

#### 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