vessel

English

Etymology

Old French vaissel, from Latin vāscellum, diminutive of vāsculum, diminutive of vās (“vessel”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvɛs.əl/, X-SAMPA: /"vEs.@l/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛsəl

Noun

vessel (plural vessels)

1. (nautical) Any craft designed for transportation on water, such as a ship or boat.
   • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

     But my hope was, that if I stood along this coast till I came to that part where the English traded, I should find some of their vessels upon their usual design of trade, that would relieve and take us in.

   • 2012 March 1, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87: 

     Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat.

2. A container of liquid, such as a glass, goblet, cup, bottle, bowl, or pitcher.
3. A person as a container of qualities or feelings.
   • Bible, Acts ix. 15

     He is a chosen vessel unto me.

   • Milton

     [The serpent] fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in whom to enter.

   • Dolly Parton, The Seeker lyrics:

     I am a vessel that’s empty and useless / I am a bad seed that fell by the way.

4. (biology) A tube or canal that carries fluid in an animal or plant.

   Blood or lymph vessels in humans, xylem or phloem vessels in plants.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:vessel

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun "vessel"

broken vessel empty vessels make the most sound lightvessel

microvessel pressure vessel reaction vessel

unvessel weaker vessel

Translations

craft

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 船隻 (cmn), 船只 (cmn) (chuánzhī)

• Czech: loď (cs) f
• Dutch: vaartuig (nl) n
• Finnish: alus (fi)
• French: vaisseau (fr) m
• German: Schiff (de), Boot (de) n
• Greek: σκάφος (el) (skáfos) n, πλοίο (el) (ploío) n

  Ancient: πλοίον n

• Hungarian: vízi jármű (hu), hajó (hu)
• Italian: vascello (it) m, imbarcazione (it) f
• Japanese: 船舶 (ja) (せんぱく, senpaku)

• Korean: 배 (ko) (bae), 선박 (ko) (seonbak) (船舶 (ko))
• Macedonian: пловило (mk) (plóvilo) n
• Navajo: tsin naaʼeeł
• Polish: statek (pl) m
• Portuguese: barco (pt) m, navio (pt) m
• Russian: корабль (ru) (koráblʹ) m, судно (ru) (súdno) m
• Sardinian:

  Logudorese Sardinian: feluga, filuga, feluca

• Slovak: loď (sk) f
• Spanish: embarcación (es) f, barco (es) m, vaso (es) m, casco (es) m
• Swedish: fartyg (sv) n
• Telugu: ఓడ (ODa)
• West Frisian: doaze

container

• Bashkir: һауыт (hawït)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 容器 (cmn) (róngqì)

• Czech: nádoba (cs) f
• Dutch: vat (nl) n, hulsel  (nl) n
• Esperanto: vazo (eo)
• Finnish: astia (fi), säiliö (fi)
• French: récipient (fr) m
• German: Gefäß (de) n, Behälter (de) m, Behältnis (de) n
• Greek: σκεύος (el) (skévos) n, δοχείο (el) (docheío) n, αγγείο (el) (angeío) n

  Ancient: ἀγγεῖον (angeion) n

• Hungarian: edény (hu), tál (hu)
• Ido: vazo (io)

• Italian: recipiente (it) m, contenitore (it) m
• Japanese: 容器 (ja) (ようき, yōki)
• Korean: 그릇 (ko) (geureut)
• Macedonian: сад (mk) (sad) m
• Maori: puoto (mi)
• Polish: naczynie (pl) n
• Portuguese: vasilha (pt) f, vaso (pt) m
• Russian: сосуд (ru) (sosúd) m
• Slovak: nádoba (sk) f
• Spanish: recipiente (es) m, receptáculo (es) m, vaso (es) m, vasija (es) f, recinto (es)
• Swedish: behållare (sv) c
• Telugu: పాత్ర (paatra)
• West Frisian: fet, bokse

tube or canal that carries fluid in an animal or plant

• Bashkir: тамыр (tamïr)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 管 (cmn) (guǎn), (blood vessel) 血管 (cmn) (xuèguǎn, xiěguǎn)

• Czech: céva (cs) f
• Dutch: vat (nl) n
• French: vaisseau (fr) m
• German: Gefäß (de) n
• Greek: αγγείο (el) (angeío) n
• Italian: vaso (it) m

• Japanese: (blood vessel) 血管 (ja) (けっかん, kekkan)
• Macedonian: сад (mk) (sad) m
• Persian: آوند (fa) (âvand), رگ (fa) (rag)
• Polish: naczynie (pl) n
• Portuguese: vaso (pt) m
• Russian: сосуд (ru) (sosúd) m
• Spanish: vaso (es) m
• Tok Pisin: mambu (tpi)

Verb

vessel (third-person singular simple present vessels, present participle vesselling, simple past and past participle vesselled)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To put into a vessel.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)

References

• “vessel” in the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, 1974 edition.

Anagrams

• selves