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. Compare tracheid.
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

/ 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.

Other Words From

• vesseled especially British, vesselled adjective
• un·vesseled 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

"The cylinders were perforated, so I'm imagining a string tethering them to another object to act as a label. Maybe they detail the contents of a vessel, or maybe where the vessel came from, or who it belonged to," Schwartz said.

From Science Daily

Despite the availability of coatings that promise to help, ship owners do not always choose the correct one for their vessel.

From BBC

In addition to speed reduction, other options to reduce whale-ship strikes include changing vessel routings away from where whales are located, or creating alert systems to notify authorities and mariners when whales are nearby.

From Science Daily

"Lowering vessel speed in hotspots also carries additional benefits, such as reducing underwater noise pollution, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and cutting air pollution, which helps people living in coastal areas," said Nisi.

From Science Daily

She continued, "It just reinforces that sort of superficial, body-focused idea that we know is so painful and harmful for every single one of us because we are so much more than this vessel that carries us."

From Salon

Related Words

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