See vessel in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
a utensil for holding something, as a vase, bowl, pot, kettle, etc.
Bible a person thought of as being the receiver or repository of some spirit or influence: a vessel of wrath
any relatively large watercraft
Anat., Zool. a tube or duct containing or circulating a body fluid: a blood vessel
Bot. a continuous, water-conducting tube in the xylem, composed of a row of nonliving cells whose end walls have disappeared
See vessel in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(vĕsˈəl)
noun
A hollow utensil, such as a cup, vase, or pitcher, used as a container, especially for liquids.
a. Nautical A craft, especially one larger than a rowboat, designed to navigate on water.
b. An airship.
Anatomy A duct, canal, or other tube that contains or conveys a body fluid: a blood vessel.
Botany One of the tubular conductive structures of xylem, consisting of dead cylindrical cells that are attached end to end and connected by perforations. They are found in nearly all flowering plants.
A person seen as the agent or embodiment, as of a quality: a vessel of mercy.