vessel

American  

[ves-uhl] / ˈvɛs əl /

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.

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vessel British  

/ 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

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vessel Scientific  

/ vĕs′əl /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• unvesseled
  adjective
• vesseled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of vessel

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

Explanation

What do a canoe, a soda can, and your arteries have in common? Each one is a type of vessel. A vessel can be a ship, a container for holding liquids, or a tube that transports blood throughout your body. Vessel has a number of different meanings, yet all of them relate in some way to liquids and transportation. This relationship in meaning has existed in language for a long time; the word vessel comes from the Latin word, vascellum, which also means both “vase” and “ship.” The use of the word vessel in reference to “blood vessels” came about in English during the 14th century.

Example Sentences

The review warns that broad removal of senescent cells could potentially interfere with tissue repair, immune surveillance, blood vessel stability, and structural integrity in sensitive organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

"US forces subsequently released the vessel after conducting a search and directing the crew to alter course," according to maritime risk management company Vanguard.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

A single vessel is often owned by one entity, registered to a second, chartered by a third and managed by a fourth.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

The first part of the whale-detection network was installed on Angel Island, with the second planned MV Lyra, a vessel operated by SF Bay Ferry connecting Vallejo to downtown San Francisco, according to the release.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Suddenly, a huge gust of wind struck the vessel, dipping her gunports below the waterline.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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