Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French vaissel, from Late Latin vascellum, diminutive of Latin vas vase, vessel
Pronunciation : ve-s&l
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. large craft made for navigation on water, boat, ship; container, receptacle (especially for holding liquids); tubular duct through which bodily fluids flow (e.g. blood vessel); one who has or demonstrates a certain quality. vessel\ves"sel\, n. [of. vessel, veissel, vaissel, vaissiel, f. vascellum, dim. of vasculum, dim. of vas a vessel. cf. vascular, vase.].
2. a hollow or concave utensil for holding anything; a hollow receptacle of any kind, as a hogshead, a barrel, a firkin, a bottle, a kettle, a cup, a bowl, etc. [they drank] out of these noble vessels.
3. a general name for any hollow structure made to float upon the water for purposes of navigation; especially, one that is larger than a common rowboat; as, a war vessel; a passenger vessel. [he] began to build a vessel of huge bulk.
4. fig.: a person regarded as receiving or containing something; esp. (script.), one into whom something is conceived as poured, or in whom something is stored for use; as, vessels of wrath or mercy. he is a chosen vessel unto me. x.
5. [the serpent] fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in whom to enter.
6. (anat.) any tube or canal in which the blood or other fluids are contained, secreted, or circulated, as the arteries, veins, lymphatics, etc.
7. (bot.) a continuous tube formed from superposed large cylindrical or prismatic cells (trache?), which have lost their intervening partitions, and are usually marked with dots, pits, rings, or spirals by internal deposition of secondary membranes; a duct.
8. A hollow or concave utensil for holding anything; a hollow receptacle of any kind, as a hogshead, a barrel, a firkin, a bottle, a kettle, a cup, a bowl, etc.
9. A general name for any hollow structure made to float upon the water for purposes of navigation; especially, one that is larger than a common rowboat; as, a war vessel; a passenger vessel.
10. Fig.: A person regarded as receiving or containing something; esp. , one into whom something is conceived as poured, or in whom something is stored for use; as, vessels of wrath or mercy.
11. Any tube or canal in which the blood or other fluids are contained, secreted, or circulated, as the arteries, veins, lymphatics, etc.
12. A continuous tube formed from superposed large cylindrical or prismatic cells , which have lost their intervening partitions, and are usually marked with dots, pits, rings, or spirals by internal deposition of secondary membranes; a duct.
13. To put into a vessel. a craft designed for water transportation an object used as a container a tube in which a body fluid circulates.
14. 1. A vessel is a ship or large boat. a New Zealand navy vessel.
15. A vessel is a bowl or other container in which liquid is kept. see also:
blood vessel.