A large earthenware or ceramic container used for storing water or wine, common in Mediterranean regions.
From Spanish and Portuguese 'cántaro,' derived from Latin 'cantharus,' which comes from Greek 'kantharos' meaning a drinking vessel or pitcher. The word traveled through trade routes as the vessels themselves were exported across Europe.
Ancient Greek drinking cups called kantharoi had such distinctive wide mouths and handles that the Romans borrowed both the object and its name—and centuries later, when Spanish potters made big storage jars, they kept the same name! It's like how 'sandwich' spread because the Earl of Sandwich made it famous.
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