Vessel \Ves"sel\, n. [OF. vessel, veissel, vaissel, vaissiel, F.
vascellum, dim. of vasculum, dim. of vas a vessel. Cf.
Vascular, Vase.]
1. 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. --Chaucer.
2. 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. --Milton.
3. 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. --Acts ix. 15.
[The serpent] fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in
whom To enter. --Milton.
4. (Anat.) Any tube or canal in which the blood or other
fluids are contained, secreted, or circulated, as the
arteries, veins, lymphatics, etc.
5. (Bot.) A continuous tube formed from superposed large
cylindrical or prismatic cells (trache[ae]), which have
lost their intervening partitions, and are usually marked
with dots, pits, rings, or spirals by internal deposition
of secondary membranes; a duct.
Acoustic vessels. See under Acoustic.
Weaker vessel, a woman; -- now applied humorously. ``Giving
honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel.'' --1
Peter iii. 7. ``You are the weaker vessel.'' --Shak.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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Mortar \Mor"tar\, n. [OE. morter, AS. mort[=e]re, L. mortarium:
cf. F. mortier mortar. Cf. sense 2 (below), also 2d Mortar,
Martel, Morter.]
1. A strong vessel, commonly in form of an inverted bell, in
which substances are pounded or rubbed with a pestle.
2. [F. mortier, fr. L. mortarium mortar (for trituarating).]
(Mil.) A short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs,
carcasses, shells, etc., at high angles of elevation, as
45[deg], and even higher; -- so named from its resemblance
in shape to the utensil above described.
Mortar bed (Mil.), a framework of wood and iron, suitably
hollowed out to receive the breech and trunnions of a
mortar.
Mortar boat or vessel (Naut.), a boat strongly built and
adapted to carrying a mortar or mortars for bombarding; a
bomb ketch.
Mortar piece, a mortar. [Obs.]
--Shak.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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Packet \Pack"et\, n. [F. paquet, dim. fr. LL. paccus, from the
same source as E. pack. See Pack.]
1. A small pack or package; a little bundle or parcel; as, a
packet of letters. --Shak.
2. Originally, a vessel employed by government to convey
dispatches or mails; hence, a vessel employed in conveying
dispatches, mails, passengers, and goods, and having fixed
days of sailing; a mail boat.
Packet boat, ship, or vessel. See Packet, n., 2.
Packet day, the day for mailing letters to go by packet; or
the sailing day.
Packet note or post. See under Paper.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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