This noun refers to a large earthenware vessel or jar, typically used for carrying water. In both its NT occurrences, it appears in the instructions Jesus gives His disciples for preparing the Passover meal: they are to follow a man carrying a water jar (κεράμιον) who will lead them to the upper room (Mark 14:13; Luke 22:10). The detail is striking because carrying water was typically women's work, making a man with a water jar a distinctive and easily recognizable sign. The jar itself was an ordinary household item, made of clay, and large enough to require carrying.