vessel
[ ves-uh l ]
/ ˈvɛs əl /
noun
a craft for traveling on water, now usually one larger than an ordinary rowboat; a ship or boat.
an airship.
a hollow or concave utensil, as a cup, bowl, pitcher, or vase, used for holding liquids or other contents.
Anatomy, Zoology.
a tube or duct, as an artery or vein, containing or conveying blood or some other body fluid.
Botany.
a duct formed in the xylem, composed of connected cells that have lost their intervening partitions, that conducts water and mineral nutrients.
Compare tracheid.
a person regarded as a holder or receiver of something, especially something nonmaterial: a vessel of grace; a vessel of wrath.
Origin of vessel
1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French
vessel, va(i)ssel < Latin
vāscellum, equivalent to
vās (see
vase) +
-cellum diminutive suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM vessel
ves·seled; especially British, ves·selled, adjective un·ves·seled, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vessel
vassal vesselWords nearby vessel
vespertine,
vespiary,
vespid,
vespine,
vespucci,
vessel,
vessel element,
vest,
vest-pocket,
vest-pocket park,
vesta
Example sentences from the Web for vessels
British Dictionary definitions for vessels
vessel
/ (ˈvɛsəl) /
noun
any object used as a container, esp for a liquid
a passenger or freight-carrying ship, boat, etc
an aircraft, esp an airship
anatomy
a tubular structure that transports such body fluids as blood and lymph
botany
a tubular element of xylem tissue consisting of a row of cells in which the connecting cell walls have broken down
rare
a person regarded as an agent or vehicle for some purpose or quality
she was the vessel of the Lord
Word Origin for vessel
C13: from Old French
vaissel, from Late Latin
vascellum urn, from Latin
vās vessel
Medical definitions for vessels
vessel
[ vĕs′əl ]
n.
A duct, canal, or other tube that contains or conveys a body fluid such as blood or lymph.
Scientific definitions for vessels
vessel
[ vĕs′əl ]
A blood vessel.
A long, continuous column made of the lignified walls of dead vessel elements, along which water flows in the xylem of angiosperms.