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

Beijing also moved to impose a special port fee on U.S. vessels and launched an antimonopoly probe into U.S. chip company Qualcomm, shares of which fell 7.3% Friday.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The US claims they are drug-trafficking vessels but has not provided any details about those on board.

Read more on BBC

As superyachts have become a staple of the billionaire class, owners and designers have taken pains to turn multimillion-dollar pleasure vessels into well-appointed floating offices, outfitted with executive desks, sleek wall art and high-speed internet.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. attack submarine fleet has been plagued by long maintenance delays that are keeping them out of operations and the length of time it takes to build a new vessel.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Earlier in its voyage, the vessel passed by Denmark at around the time of the drone incursions, which began late on Sept. 22, arousing the suspicion of investigators, a French official said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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