'amphora-shaped' is a compound formed from the noun 'amphora' and the English combining suffix '-shaped'. 'amphora' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'amphoreus'/'amphora', where the prefix 'amphi-' meant 'around' or 'both' and the element related to 'phoreus' (from Greek 'pherein') meant 'to carry'.

'amphora' passed into Late Latin as 'amphora' and then into Middle English as 'amphora'; in modern English it combined with the productive suffix '-shaped' (from 'shape') to form descriptive compounds such as 'amphora-shaped'.

Initially, 'amphora' meant 'a two-handled storage or transport jar,' but over time the compound 'amphora-shaped' evolved to mean 'having the general form or outline of an amphora' rather than referring to the object itself.