vessel

Alternative forms

• vessell (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvɛs.əl/, /ˈvɛs.l̩/

Noun

vessel (plural vessels)

1. (nautical) Any craft designed for transportation on water, such as a ship or boat.
   • Hyponyms: ship, boat, barge, raft, canoe, kayak
2. A craft designed for transportation through air or space.
   • Hyponyms: spaceship, ship
3. (uncountable, obsolete or dialectal) Dishes and cutlery collectively, especially if made of precious metals.
4. A container of liquid or other substance, such as a glass, goblet, cup, bottle, bowl, or pitcher.
5. A person as a container of qualities or feelings.
   • A teacher should be a vessel of knowledge.
6. (biology) A tube or canal that carries fluid in an animal or plant.
   • Hyponyms: blood vessel, lymph vessel
   • Blood and lymph vessels are found in humans; xylem and phloem vessels are found in plants.

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To put into a vessel.

Anagrams

• -selves, selves

Alternative forms

• vescel, vessell, fessell, vessall, vesel, vessayle, fessel, wessell, ffessell

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvɛsɛl/, /ˈvɛsəl/

Noun

vessel (plural vessels or vessel)

1. A container or vessel; a box for storage:
   1. A vessel; any open container used in the kitchen:
      1. (by extension) A decorative container; a vase used for adornment.
      2. (by extension) A piece of cookware; a container used for cooking.
      3. (by extension) Any sort of kitchen tool or utensil.
   2. A container used for the storage of medicines; a pharmaceutical container.
   3. Any object, especially a container, used in religious ceremonies or rituals.
   4. A large container or vat used for bulk storage.
   5. (alchemy) Alchemical equipment, ware, or tools.
   6. Traveling equipment; travel gear.
2. In several anatomical senses:
   1. (figurative) A human being or the body of a human being.
   2. Blood vessels; the tubes that blood travels in.
   3. Any sort of tube, duct or canal in the body (e.g. the intestines)
   4. (figurative, rare) The heart (as the seat of feelings).
3. A seafaring vessel; a boat or ship.
4. (mainly Biblical) A machine, device, or method.