vas
noun
a vessel or duct.
vas
1 American
[vas]
/ væs /
noun
Anatomy, Zoology, Botany.
-
vasa
plural
vas-
2
American
vas-
1
British
combining form
vas
2
British
/ væs /
noun
Usage
What does vas- mean? Vas- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “vessel,” typically referring to blood vessels, such as veins and arteries. It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy. In some instances, vas- specifically refers to the vas deferens, the duct that carries sperm to the penis. Vas- is a variant of vaso-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use vaso- article. Vas- comes from the Latin vās, meaning “vessel.” The Latin vās is also the source of the word vase, which is, after all, a type of vessel—often for flowers! And the diminutive form of vās is vāsculum, literally “little vessel”; it’s the source of the word vascular, commonly encountered in cardiovascular. Learn more about cardio- at our Words That Use cardio- and Words That Use cardi- articles.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vas
First recorded in 1645–55, vas is from the Latin word vās vessel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The procedure involves the cutting and then clamping or sealing of the vas deferens, a tube on each testicle that carries sperm to the urethra.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
For this investigation, the researchers from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences used samples of testicles, epididymis and vas deferens from 118 freshly slaughtered bulls of reproductive age.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 16, 2024
A vasectomy blocks the vas deferens, the tubes that are the highway for sperm between the testes and penis.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2023
Another nonhormonal method involves reversibly blocking the vas deferens, an organ that transports sperm for ejaculation.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 13, 2022
Half the hamper vas home-canned fruit: tomatoes and pickled peaches.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
During pregnancy, Hayley was diagnosed with vasa previa, a dangerous condition in which the blood vessels from the placenta or umbilical cord block the birth canal.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2024
But four of the five greater vasa parrots that used the tools and ingested the calcium were males.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 15, 2015
Solutes and water recovered from these loops are returned to the circulation by way of the vasa recta.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
It is important to understand the difference between the glomerulus and the peritubular and vasa recta capillaries.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The vasa deferentia were seen as white convoluted threads on the peritoneum, but contained no spermatozoa.
From Hormones and Heredity by J. T. Cunningham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
