phial

[fahy-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR phial ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Origin of phial

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin phiala saucer < Greek phiálē; replacing Middle English phiole, fiole < Middle French fiole < Latin, as above

Related formsphi·al·ine

[fahy-uh-lin, -lahyn] /ˈfaɪ ə lɪn, -ˌlaɪn/, adjective

Can be confusedfile phial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for phial

vial, glass, urn, jar, jug, flask, bottle, beaker, chalice, decanter, canteen, carafe, ewer, soldier, flagon, cruet, ampoule, ampul, crock, retort

Examples from the Web for phial

Historical Examples of phial

Then strain it through muslin, and keep it tightly-corked in a phial.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
He poured half a phial over his cravat, his pocket-handkerchief, his sleeves.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov
Hurriedly he removed the plate from the pillow and replaced the phial of liquid.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science April 1930
Various
As she spoke she drew from her bosom a phial, containing a dark liquid.
An Old Sailor's Yarns
Nathaniel Ames
Trembling, he lifted the phial of bat's blood, drank it down.
G-r-r-r...!
Roger Arcot

British Dictionary definitions for phial

phial

noun

a small bottle for liquids; vial

Word Origin for phial

C14: from Old French fiole, from Latin phiola saucer, from Greek phialē wide shallow vessel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for phial

late 14c., from Old French fiole "flask, phial" (12c.), probably from Medieval Latin phiola, from Latin phiala, from Greek phiale "broad, flat drinking vessel," of unknown origin.