vial
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vial
1300–50; Middle English viole, variant of fiole phial
Explanation
The word vial sounds like another word, "vile" (making them homonyms), but they mean completely different things. A vial is just a small glass bottle that contains a chemical or drug. "Vile" is evil. One of the coolest things about the English language is how specific you can get. For example, got a small glass bottle made for carrying chemicals or drugs? There's a word for that! That word is vial. There are bottles for soda and bottles for beer, but if what you're carrying is drugs, chemicals, or similar substances, you're carrying them in a vial.
Vocabulary lists containing vial
"Of Mice and Men"
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Bless Me, Ultima
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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.
Vial and Burns had been in a brief relationship in the time leading up to the killing of Mr Wilkin.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025
Alan Vial, who has an address at Drumanoo Head near Killybegs in County Donegal, appeared at Ballyshannon District Court on Friday afternoon.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2023
Zeeks founders Doug McLure and Tom Vial said in a city news release they “believe we complied with the statute in good faith” and that drivers did not receive smaller tips “on average.”
From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2022
According to Vial, her Tudor-style home will be celebrating its 100th birthday next year.
From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2022
Mrs. Bray relates the following of a Devonshire physician, happily named Vial, who was a desperate lover of whist.
From The Jest Book The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings by Lemon, Mark
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.
