VESSEL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does vessel mean? 

• VESSEL (noun)
  The noun VESSEL has 3 senses:

1. a tube in which a body fluid circulates

2. a craft designed for water transportation

3. an object used as a container (especially for liquids)

  Familiarity information: VESSEL used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VESSEL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A tube in which a body fluid circulates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

vas; vessel

Hypernyms ("vessel" is a kind of...):

tube; tube-shaped structure ((anatomy) any hollow cylindrical body structure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vessel"):

blood vessel (a vessel in which blood circulates)

Holonyms ("vessel" is a part of...):

vascular system (the vessels and tissue that carry or circulate fluids such as blood or lymph or sap through the body of an animal or plant)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A craft designed for water transportation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

vessel; watercraft

Hypernyms ("vessel" is a kind of...):

craft (a vehicle designed for navigation in or on water or air or through outer space)

Meronyms (parts of "vessel"):

hull (the frame or body of ship)

anchor; ground tackle (a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving)

bilge (where the sides of the vessel curve in to form the bottom)

splashboard; washboard (protective covering consisting of a broad plank along a gunwale to keep water from splashing over the side)

strake; wale (thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship)

bilge keel (either of two lengthwise fins attached along the outside of a ship's bilge; reduces rolling)

bow; fore; prow; stem (front part of a vessel or aircraft)

rudder ((nautical) steering mechanism consisting of a hinged vertical plate mounted at the stern of a vessel)

Domain member category:

clench; clinch (a small slip noose made with seizing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vessel"):

boat (a small vessel for travel on water)

bareboat (a vessel (such as a yacht) that can be chartered without a captain or crew or provisions)

racing yacht; yacht (an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing)

weather ship (an oceangoing vessel equipped to make meteorological observations)

shrimper (a vessel engaged in shrimping)

ship (a vessel that carries passengers or freight)

sailing ship; sailing vessel (a vessel that is powered by the wind; often having several masts)

patrol boat; patrol ship (a vessel assigned to patrol an area)

ice yacht; iceboat; scooter (a sailing vessel with runners and a cross-shaped frame; suitable for traveling over ice)

galley (a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading)

galley ((classical antiquity) a crescent-shaped seagoing vessel propelled by oars)

fishing boat; fishing smack; fishing vessel (a vessel for fishing; often has a well to keep the catch alive)

Instance hyponyms:

Monitor (an ironclad vessel built by Federal forces to do battle with the Merrimac)

Merrimac (an ironclad vessel built by the Confederate forces in the hope of breaking the blockade imposed by the North)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An object used as a container (especially for liquids)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("vessel" is a kind of...):

container (any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another))

Meronyms (parts of "vessel"):

brim; lip; rim (the top edge of a vessel or other container)

base (a flat bottom on which something is intended to sit)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vessel"):

bucket; pail (a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top)

jar (a vessel (usually cylindrical) with a wide mouth and without handles)

ladle (a spoon-shaped vessel with a long handle; frequently used to transfer liquids from one container to another)

monstrance; ostensorium ((Roman Catholic Church) a vessel (usually of gold or silver) in which the consecrated Host is exposed for adoration)

mortar (a bowl-shaped vessel in which substances can be ground and mixed with a pestle)

muller (a vessel in which wine is mulled)

flagon (a large metal or pottery vessel with a handle and spout; used to hold alcoholic beverages (usually wine))

ewer; pitcher (an open vessel with a handle and a spout for pouring)

poacher (a cooking vessel designed to poach food (such as fish or eggs))

pot (metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid)

retort (a vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat)

steeper (a vessel (usually a pot or vat) used for steeping)

storage tank; tank (a large (usually metallic) vessel for holding gases or liquids)

tin (a vessel (box, can, pan, etc.) made of tinplate and used mainly in baking)

tub; vat (a large open vessel for holding or storing liquids)

urceole (a vessel that holds water for washing the hands)

water jacket (a container filled with water that surrounds a machine to cool it; especially that surrounding the cylinder block of an engine)

well (a cavity or vessel used to contain liquid)

drum; metal drum (a cylindrical metal container used for shipping or storage of liquids)

autoclave; steriliser; sterilizer (a device for heating substances above their boiling point; used to manufacture chemicals or to sterilize surgical instruments)

barrel; cask (a cylindrical container that holds liquids)

basin (a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids)

bath (a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it))

bathing tub; bathtub; tub (a relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body)

bedpan (a shallow vessel used by a bedridden patient for defecation and urination)

boiler; steam boiler (sealed vessel where water is converted to steam)

bone-ash cup; cupel; refractory pot (a small porous bowl made of bone ash used in assaying to separate precious metals from e.g. lead)

bottle (a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped)

bottle; feeding bottle; nursing bottle (a vessel fitted with a flexible teat and filled with milk or formula; used as a substitute for breast feeding infants and very young children)

bowl (a round vessel that is open at the top; used chiefly for holding food or liquids)

censer; thurible (a container for burning incense (especially one that is swung on a chain in a religious ritual))

butter churn; churn (a vessel in which cream is agitated to separate butterfat from buttermilk)

crucible; melting pot (a vessel made of material that does not melt easily; used for high temperature chemical reactions)

drinking vessel (a vessel intended for drinking)

eye cup; eyebath; eyecup (a small vessel with a rim curved to fit the orbit of the eye; use to apply medicated or cleansing solution to the eyeball)

 Context examples 

The density of newly formed blood vessels in a tissue.

(Microvascular Density, NCI Thesaurus)

It contains the heart and the great vessels.

(Middle Mediastinum, NCI Thesaurus)

Microspheres injected into blood vessels that feed a tumor may kill the tumor by blocking its blood supply.

(Microsphere, NCI Dictionary)

“She is asleep. She was very tired. In fact, I am waiting to hear the news from you. What vessel was it?”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Doctors used to believe migraines were linked to the opening and narrowing of blood vessels in the head.

(Migraine, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Memory problems can also have other causes, including certain medicines and diseases that affect the blood vessels that supply the brain.

(Mild Cognitive Impairment, NIH: National Institute on Aging)

New blood vessels formed by solid tumors.

(Murine Tumor-Associated Vasculature, NCI Thesaurus)

Blocking mTOR’s action may keep cancer cells from growing and prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow.

(mTOR inhibitor, NCI Dictionary)

Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body.

(Aneurysms, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

They are thought to reflect small blood vessel disease, and have also have been associated with dementia and other health issues in older people.

(Physical Activity May Reduce Age-Related Movement Problems, NIH)