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am·pul·la

(ăm-plə, -pŭlə)

n. pl. am·pul·lae (-plē, -pŭlē)

1. A nearly round bottle with two handles used by the ancient Romans for wine, oil, or perfume.

2. Ecclesiastical A vessel for consecrated wine or holy oil.

3. Anatomy A small dilatation in a canal or duct, especially one in the semicircular canal of the ear.

[Middle English, from Old English, from Latin, diminutive of amphora; see AMPHORA.]

am·pullar adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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