vial

American  

[vahy-uhl, vahyl] / ˈvaɪ əl, vaɪl /

noun

1. Also a small container, as of glass, for holding liquids.

   a vial of rare perfume; a vial of medicine.

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verb (used with object)

vialed, vialing, vialled, vialling

1. to put into or keep in a vial.

idioms

1. pour out vials of wrath, to wreak vengeance or express anger.

   In her preface she pours out vials of wrath on her detractors.

vial British  

/ ˈvaɪəl, vaɪl /

noun

1. a less common variant of phial

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Etymology

Origin of vial

1300–50; Middle English viole, variant of fiole phial

Example Sentences

These fat-pocketed bigwigs must roam the Hollywood Hills peering up at the sky covered in storm clouds, hoping that they’ll catch the fateful electric spark in their glass vials.

From Salon

Shalom rubbed the liquid, stored in a small vial, into my scalp with his gloved fingertips.

From Los Angeles Times

“As soon as it was offered at $550 in the vial, I switched.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"With this drill I carefully remove small amounts of powder. I store that powder in a plastic vial and transport it back to our lab at the University of Michigan for isotopic analysis."

From Science Daily

It shoots lasers at atoms of rubidium, a soft, silvery-white metal, that are held in a gaseous form in a small glass vial.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bottle
• flask