amphora
See also: âmphora
English
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): /ˈæm.fə.ɹə/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
amphora (plural amphoras or amphorae)
- (chiefly historical) A large vessel, especially a thin-necked clay vat used in ancient Greece and Rome for storing and transporting wine and oil.
- (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
- French amphora
- Greek amphora
- Roman amphora
Related terms
- amphoric, amphora quadrantal
Translations
large clay vessel used in ancient Greece and Rome for storing wine and oil
|
Anagrams
- amorpha
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
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈam.pʰo.ra/, [ˈämpʰɔrä]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /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.
| 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
- (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