vas

¹

[ vas ]

noun

, Anatomy, Zoology, Botany.

, plural va·sa [vey, -s, uh].

1. a vessel or duct.

vas-

²

1. variant of vaso- before a vowel:

   vasectomy.

vas-

¹

combining_form

1. a variant of vaso-

vas

²

/ væs /

noun

1. anatomy zoology a vessel, duct, or tube that carries a fluid

Word History and Origins

Origin of vas¹

First recorded in 1645–55, vas is from the Latin word vās vessel

Word History and Origins

Origin of vas¹

C17: from Latin: vessel

Example Sentences

Vasalgel, a reversible form of male birth control, just took one step closer to your vas deferens.

From The Daily Beast

Vasalgel, a reversible, non-hormonal polymer that blocks the vas deferens, is about to enter human trials.

From The Daily Beast

One of the things I love to do is offload a bunch of tasks to my VAs around 9PM each night.

From The Daily Beast

Et addit: "Dixi perfectam, id est, quae fit cum effusione veri seminis in vas muliebre."

From Project Gutenberg

She hat haar as prown ash a pretzel,Her eyes vas himmel-plue, Und ven dey looket indo mine,Dey shplit mine heart in two.

From Project Gutenberg

I vas know Adrian Brackel vell—he sell de powders dat empty men's stomach, and fill him's own purse.

From Project Gutenberg

I beg your pardon,' says the artist, 'I quite forgot poor Mary vas dere.

From Project Gutenberg

He vould haf drowed der kitchen stof ad me, only it vas hotter as he could hantle.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use vas-

What does vas- mean?

Vas- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “vessel,” typically referring to blood vessels, such as veins and arteries. It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy.

In some instances, vas- specifically refers to the vas deferens, the duct that carries sperm to the penis.

Vas- is a variant of vaso-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use vaso- article.

Vas- comes from the Latin vās, meaning “vessel.” The Latin vās is also the source of the word vase, which is, after all, a type of vessel—often for flowers! And the diminutive form of vās is vāsculum, literally “little vessel”; it’s the source of the word vascular, commonly encountered in cardiovascular.

Learn more about cardio- at our Words That Use cardio- and Words That Use cardi- articles.

Examples of vas-

Perhaps you’ve heard of a vasectomy. A vasectomy, the (generally reversible) excision of the vas deferens or a portion it, is usually performed to make men sterile.

We know now that vas- refers to various “vessels” in the body, including the sperm-carrying duct known as the vas deferens. The -ectomy portion of the word vasectomy is a combining form meaning “excision,” specifically the removal of a part of the body. So, a vasectomy is literally just “excision of the vas deferens.”

What are some words that use the combining form vas-?

• vasectomize
• vasitis

There are many other words that begin with the letter vas-, such as vast and vassal, that don’t use vas- as a combining form to refer to blood vessels.

And have you ever used Vaseline? Well, the brand name of this popular petroleum product is actually a combination of the German Wasser (“water”) and the Greek word for oil.

Break it down!

The combining form -itis is often used to denote “inflammation.” And vas- is often specifically used to refer to the vas deferens. With this in mind, what is vasitis?