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Glite Dictionary
canopic jar

canopic jar

1 9.9
A jar with a lid used in ancient Egypt to hold the organs removed from a dead body
  • noun
  • /kəˈnɒpɪk dʒɑr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : jarra canópica
  • Each canopic jar featured a unique lid shaped like a head to represent one of the four sons of Horus.

Examples

  • Without her major organs, which were removed and stored in now-lost canopic jars, it is difficult to determine the cause of Meresamun's death.

    Academic text (2009)

  • During the embalming process, priests placed the internal organs in canopic jars to preserve them for the afterlife.

  • The four canopic jars of Horus from New York need to be placed in the showcase number 33.

    The Broken Key (2017)

  • Canopic jars.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Anck-su-namun's soul had been sent to the dark underworld... her vital organs removed and placed in five sacred canopic jars.

    The Mummy (1999)

  • The museum displays a collection of beautifully decorated canopic jars used by the ancient Egyptians to store mummified organs.

Synonyms

canopic vase
vscanopic jar
  • Specialized
9.9

A jar in ancient Egypt that holds organs taken out before making a mummy

has identical meaning but uses the alternate traditional term for the same vessel

Surface Forms

canopic jar singular
canopic jars plural

Morphology

canopic + jar

This is a culture-specific technical term: 'canopic' is an obscure adjective (not semantically transparent or productive for a B1 learner) and knowing 'jar' (a container) does not allow one to infer the specialized function of holding internal organs during embalming. The meaning therefore depends on encyclopedic knowledge of ancient Egyptian burial practices rather than straightforward composition of the constituents.

Etymology

Canopic jar refers to the lidded jar ancient Egyptians used to hold the organs taken from a body during mummification, and these jars were often placed in the tomb with the mummy. Each jar often had a lid shaped like a god to 'protect' a particular organ, so the name now means a jar used for keeping those organs.