noun
vessel
VEH-suhl
noun
1
A ship, boat, or other craft built for travelling on water (or, more loosely, air or space).
"The fishing vessel returned to harbour just before the storm hit."
2
A container, such as a bowl, cup, or bottle, used to hold a liquid or other substance.
"Pour the mixture into a clean glass vessel."
3
A tube inside the body or a plant that carries fluid, such as blood.
"The surgeon carefully repaired the damaged blood vessel."
How to Use Vessel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA general word for a ship, or for any container that holds liquid — also used for tubes that carry fluid in the body.
Common pairings
a fishing vessel
blood vessel
a glass vessel
Word Forms
vesseled past tense, vesselled past tense, vessels plural, vessels singular
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The fishing _____ returned to harbour just before the storm hit.
Etymology
From Old French vaissel, from Late Latin vascellum, "small container" — a diminutive of vas, "vase".