Aryballo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small, rounded container from ancient Greece designed to hold oils or perfumes used in personal grooming and rituals
2. A small, often ornate container from ancient Greece utilized for storing fragrant oils or perfumes primarily for grooming and ceremonial uses
3. A compact vessel from ancient Greece used to store and carry oils or scented liquids for personal or ritual use

Etymology: The word is an Italian-style alternative spelling of the Ancient Greek "arúballos", the name of a small, narrow-necked flask used for holding perfumed oil. English took the term directly from Greek, and it is most often applied to the vessels that archaeologists recover from Greek tombs and sanctuaries, where they were common offerings and everyday containers. The Greek name is the key to the object's purpose. The flask's neck was narrow enough that its contents could be poured out a drop at a time, which made it practical for scented oils used in bathing and anointing, and many surviving examples are decorated with painted scenes. Scholars have long used the Greek name for these vessels, which is why it survives in English in place of a more general word like "bottle."