vessel

[ves-uhl]

noun

1. a craft for traveling on water, now usually one larger than an ordinary rowboat; a ship or boat.

2. an airship.

3. a hollow or concave utensil, as a cup, bowl, pitcher, or vase, used for holding liquids or other contents.

4. Anatomy, Zoology.,  a tube or duct, as an artery or vein, containing or conveying blood or some other body fluid.

5. Botany.,  a duct formed in the xylem, composed of connected cells that have lost their intervening partitions, that conducts water and mineral nutrients.

6. a person regarded as a holder or receiver of something, especially something nonmaterial.

   a vessel of grace;

   a vessel of wrath.

vessel

/ ˈvɛsəl /

noun

1. any object used as a container, esp for a liquid

2. a passenger or freight-carrying ship, boat, etc

3. an aircraft, esp an airship

4. anatomy a tubular structure that transports such body fluids as blood and lymph

5. botany a tubular element of xylem tissue consisting of a row of cells in which the connecting cell walls have broken down

6. rare,  a person regarded as an agent or vehicle for some purpose or quality

   she was the vessel of the Lord

vessel

1. A blood vessel.

2. A long, continuous column made of the lignified walls of dead vessel elements, along which water flows in the xylem of angiosperms.

Other Word Forms

• vesseled adjective
• unvesseled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vessel¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French va(i)ssel, vessel, from Latin vāscellum, from vās “vessel” ( vase ) + -cellum, diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of vessel¹

C13: from Old French vaissel, from Late Latin vascellum urn, from Latin vās vessel

Example Sentences

The layered effect is magical—as if the vessel were malleable, atmospheric, and the figures were frolicking within its translucent skin.

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Across 18 years, the vessel “logged more than a million miles, the equivalent of forty-four trips around the world.”

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As superyachts have become a staple of the billionaire class, owners and designers turned these pricey pleasure vessels into well-appointed floating offices, outfitted with executive desks and high-speed internet.

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Some Asian shipyards, including in South Korea, the world leader in the industry, have canceled Russian orders for such vessels and domestic yards have so far been unable to replace that capacity quickly.

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For example, Beijing could subject vessels serving Taiwan to inspection by declaring a law-enforcement or health action, allowing Beijing to quietly raise pressure on Taipei.

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Related Words

• barge 
• boat 
• craft 
• liner 
• ocean liner 
• tanker