a craft designed for water transportation
"The captain inspected every vessel before allowing it to enter the harbor during the storm."
an object used as a container (especially for liquids)
"The chef carefully poured the hot soup into the ceramic vessel to let it cool before serving."
Any craft designed for transportation on water, such as a ship or boat.
"The captain inspected every vessel before allowing it to enter the harbor."
In plain English: A vessel is any container used to hold liquids, gases, or solids.
"The captain inspected each passenger vessel before allowing them to dock at the harbor."
Usage: Use vessel to refer specifically to ships and boats rather than general vehicles like cars or planes. It is often interchangeable with the word ship when describing large seafaring crafts but can also apply to smaller boats depending on context.
To put into a vessel.
"The captain carefully loaded all the cargo onto the ship before setting sail."
The word "vessel" comes from Middle English, where it meant a small container. It traces its roots back to the Latin word for vase through Old French and Late Latin forms.