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

The president's warning comes after Venezuela flew military aircraft near a US vessel off South America for the second time in two days, US officials told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

From BBC

But officials said the departure of a drug vessel from Venezuela makes Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s dictatorial president labeled by the White House as a top drug kingpin, indirectly responsible.

From Los Angeles Times

This remains the case when Andy encounters the slimy remains of Rook, the derelict vessel’s android science officer who looks exactly like Ash, the series’ first android traitor introduced in 1979’s “Alien.”

From Salon

Late on Thursday, the defence department accused two Venezuelan military aircraft of flying near a US vessel in a "highly provocative move designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations".

From BBC

Also, since the foetuses were attached to organs like the liver, kidneys and the intestines, they had to be extracted with great care so that no organs or blood vessels were damaged.

From BBC

Related Words

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