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amphora

/ˈæmfərə/
IPA guide

Other forms: amphorae; amphoras

An amphora is an ancient jar with a long neck and two handles. Some are small like wine bottles, but others are as big as grown men. All of them have oval bodies, skinny necks, and two handles.

The amphora was used in ancient Greece and Rome as a type of container for wine or oil. People don’t use them for wine or oil anymore, but you might find a decorative amphora in a fancy house, although you’d most likely see one in an ancient art exhibit at a museum. You can detect the meaning of this word in its two Greek roots, since amph means "on both sides" and phor means "to carry."

Definitions of amphora
  1. noun
    an ancient jar with two handles and a narrow neck; used to hold oil or wine
    see moresee less
    type of:
    jar
    a vessel (usually cylindrical) with a wide mouth and without handles
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