canopic jar

noun

ca·​no·​pic jar kə-ˈnō-pik-  -ˈnä- 

: a jar in which the ancient Egyptians preserved the viscera of a deceased person usually for burial with the mummy

Illustration of canopic jar

Examples of canopic jar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While most prior similar studies focused on samples gleaned from the bandages and tissues of actual mummies, this latest study focuses on the balms used to embalm accompanying organs stored in canopic jars. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2023

Enlarge / One of the limestone canopic jars that once held mummified organs of the Egyptian noblewoman Senetnay (c. 1450 BCE). —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2023

This limestone canopic jar contained the organs of Egyptian noblewoman Senetnay preserved in balm. —Popular Science, 31 Aug. 2023

These specialists determined that the stone sculpture is the lid to an Egyptian canopic jar, depicting the funeral deity Imsety. —Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2022

This Egyptian canopic jar lid, which was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Tennessee, could be up to 3,000 years old. —Sophie Reardon, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Canopus, Egyptian

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above