Updated on March 6, 2024
A vessel, in its most fundamental sense, is a container. But it is so much more than just a simple receptacle. It is a symbol of significance and cultural importance across the globe. From ancient civilizations to modern society, vessels have been used to carry a wide array of materials, from precious liquids and foodstuffs to spiritual offerings and sacred relics. They have been crafted from a diverse range of materials, including clay, glass, metal, and wood, and have been adorned with intricate designs and patterns that reflect the artistic styles and cultural values of their creators.
The word 'vessel' also carries historical and literary weight. In naval terminology, a vessel is a ship or boat. In the realm of anatomy, a vessel is a tube or canal that carries fluids. And in literature, a vessel can refer to a person or thing that is used to achieve a particular end.
Given the rich significance and widespread usage of the word 'vessel', it's not surprising that people might be interested in its translation in different languages. Here are a few examples:
Afrikaans | vaartuig | ||
The word "vaartuig" in Afrikaans can also mean "vehicle" or "craft". | |||
Amharic | ዕቃ | ||
Hausa | jirgin ruwa | ||
The Hausa word | |||
Igbo | arịa | ||
In the Igbo language, the word "arịa" (vessel) also has the secondary meaning of "container" or "box". | |||
Malagasy | fanaka | ||
The word "fanaka" in Malagasy can also refer to a type of ritual basket or a cooking pot. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chotengera | ||
The word "chotengera" can also refer to a particular type of traditional clay pot used for cooking and storage in Malawi. | |||
Shona | mudziyo | ||
Somali | weel | ||
The Somali word "weel" originally referred to a type of wooden bowl used for serving food or drinks. | |||
Sesotho | sejana | ||
The word "sejana" can also refer to a container or a vehicle. | |||
Swahili | chombo | ||
The Swahili word "chombo" derives from the Arabic word "safina" meaning "ship" or "vessel". | |||
Xhosa | inqanawa | ||
The Xhosa word "inqanawa" can also mean "a place where something is kept or stored". | |||
Yoruba | ọkọ̀ | ||
In some contexts, ọkọ̀ translates to "ship," whereas in others it means "vehicle." | |||
Zulu | umkhumbi | ||
The word 'umkhumbi' also denotes a container used for carrying liquids, such as water or milk. | |||
Bambara | bato | ||
Ewe | nugo | ||
Kinyarwanda | ubwato | ||
Lingala | masuwa | ||
Luganda | ekikompe | ||
Sepedi | sekepe | ||
Twi (Akan) | suhyɛn | ||
Arabic | وعاء | ||
Hebrew | כְּלִי שַׁיִט | ||
In Hebrew, the term "כלי שיט" (vessel) has a nautical connotation implying a vessel used for transportation on water. | |||
Pashto | برتن | ||
Although the Pashto word "برتن" usually means "vessel", it can also refer to a "cooking pot" or "utensil". | |||
Arabic | وعاء | ||
Albanian | anije | ||
The word "anije" is derived from the Proto-Albanian form "*aniia" and is related to the Latin word "navis", meaning "ship". | |||
Basque | ontzia | ||
The word "ontzia" in Basque also refers to a boat or other watercraft, sharing its root with the word "ontzi" (harbor). | |||
Catalan | vaixell | ||
The Catalan word "vaixell" derives from Vulgar Latin "vascellum," referring not only to vessels, but also, to servants and slaves. | |||
Croatian | brod | ||
Brod in Croatian can also refer to a "convent" or a "ferry". | |||
Danish | beholder | ||
Beholder can also refer to a mythical creature consisting of one giant eye surrounded by smaller eyes. | |||
Dutch | vaartuig | ||
The word "vaartuig" in Dutch can also mean "vehicle" and is derived from the Middle Dutch "vart" (journey) and "tuuch" (equipment). | |||
English | vessel | ||
In nautical contexts, a vessel also pertains to an entire boat. | |||
French | navire | ||
The French word "navire" comes from the Latin word "navis", which means "ship". | |||
Frisian | skûtsje | ||
The Frisian word 'skûtsje' likely derives from the Dutch 'schuit', with a cognate in the German 'schute'. | |||
Galician | buque | ||
The Galician word "buque" derives from the Latin "bucca" and in addition to "vessel" it can also mean "mouth". | |||
German | schiff | ||
The German word "Schiff" can also refer to a sheep, a ship's hull or a space rocket module. | |||
Icelandic | skip | ||
In Old Norse, | |||
Irish | árthach | ||
"árthach," a term used to refer to a small vessel, is derived from the Old Irish word "árach," which means "to lift" or "to carry." | |||
Italian | nave | ||
In Italian, "nave" also refers to the central part of a church.} | |||
Luxembourgish | schëff | ||
The word "Schëff" can also refer to small sailing boats or a tool used for scooping out liquids. | |||
Maltese | bastiment | ||
Bastiment is a word used in Maltese which is related to the French word | |||
Norwegian | fartøy | ||
The word "fartøy" is derived from the Old Norse word "far", meaning "to travel", and "tøy", meaning "tool" or "equipment". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | embarcação | ||
In Portuguese, "embarcação" comes from the verb "embarcar" (to embark) and also means "entrance" or "beginning". | |||
Scots Gaelic | soitheach | ||
The Gaelic word "soitheach" can also mean "ship" or "spaceship" | |||
Spanish | buque | ||
The Spanish word "buque" comes from the medieval Latin "buttica", with origins in an unknown vulgar Latin term. | |||
Swedish | fartyg | ||
"Fartyg" is likely derived from the old Norse "ferjutr" and ultimately from PIE "per- " or "por- " ("to move"), related to the Latin "portus" ("harbour"). | |||
Welsh | llestr | ||
The Welsh word "llestr" comes from an older word meaning "container," but is now most often used to refer to a boat. |
Belarusian | пасудзіна | ||
The word "пасудзіна" (vessel) in Belarusian is derived from the Old East Slavic word "пъдъ" (bottom), which also gave rise to the word "пасудзіна" (vessel) in Russian. | |||
Bosnian | brod | ||
"Brod" can mean both a "ship" and an "embroidery", depending on the context. | |||
Bulgarian | плавателен съд | ||
The word "плавателен съд" comes from the Latin word "vas", meaning "container". | |||
Czech | plavidlo | ||
In Czech, "plavidlo" also refers to a spaceship or aircraft. | |||
Estonian | laev | ||
The word "laev" derives from Proto-Finnic *laivɑ, which also means "boat" or "ship" in other Finnic languages. | |||
Finnish | aluksen | ||
The word | |||
Hungarian | hajó | ||
The word "hajó" can also refer to a building or a ship in some Hungarian dialects.. | |||
Latvian | kuģis | ||
The term "kuģis" also refers to a person who has been imprisoned. | |||
Lithuanian | indas | ||
The word "indas" in Lithuanian can also mean "container" or "jar". | |||
Macedonian | сад | ||
The word 'сад' is derived from the Old Slavic word 'sъdъ', which originally meant a 'container' or 'receptacle'. | |||
Polish | naczynie | ||
In Polish, "naczynie" is not only a receptacle, but can also refer to a chemical substance that takes part in a chemical reaction. | |||
Romanian | navă | ||
The Romanian word "navă" is derived from the Latin "navis", meaning "ship". In Romanian, however, it can refer to any type of vessel, including boats, ships, and submarines. | |||
Russian | сосуд | ||
The Russian word "сосуд" also has obsolete alternate meanings of "criminal" or "lawsuit", both deriving from its original usage as a container for liquid. | |||
Serbian | брод | ||
The word "Брод" (vessel) in Serbian also has the alternate meaning of "ferry". | |||
Slovak | plavidlo | ||
"Plavidlo" also refers informally to any type of vehicle. | |||
Slovenian | plovilo | ||
The word "plovilo" can also mean "tool". | |||
Ukrainian | судно | ||
The word "судно" can mean not only a "vessel" but also a "trial" in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | পাত্র | ||
The word "পাত্র" in Bengali can also mean "recipient" or "container". | |||
Gujarati | વાસણ | ||
The word “વાસણ” comes from the Sanskrit word “वस” (vas), meaning “to dwell,” and was later adopted into Gujarati. | |||
Hindi | पतीला | ||
"पतीला" also means "belly" in several dialects of Hindi, particularly in rural areas. | |||
Kannada | ಹಡಗು | ||
The word "ಹಡಗು" can also refer to a group of people or a convoy in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | പാത്രം | ||
Marathi | भांडे | ||
The word "भांडे" comes from Sanskrit "भण्ड" and can also mean treasure or property. | |||
Nepali | भाँडा | ||
bhaanda comes from the Sanskrit word | |||
Punjabi | ਭਾਂਡਾ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යාත්රාව | ||
Tamil | கப்பல் | ||
"கப்பல்" also refers to the act or the process of mixing various ingredients together, such as in cooking, or in making traditional medicine | |||
Telugu | ఓడ | ||
The word ఓడ can also refer to the act of loading or unloading a vessel. | |||
Urdu | برتن | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 船只 | ||
船只 in Chinese can originally mean the body, and it is a metaphor to use the same word for both the body and vessel (船只). | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 船隻 | ||
The word 船隻 "vessel" also refers to "boat" or "yacht" in Chinese | |||
Japanese | 容器 | ||
The term | |||
Korean | 용기 | ||
The word "용기" also means "courage" in Korean, a usage that is not found in its Chinese counterpart. | |||
Mongolian | хөлөг онгоц | ||
The Mongolian word "хөлөг онгоц" can also mean "ship" or "boat". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရေယာဉ် | ||
Indonesian | kapal | ||
The word "kapal" in Indonesian, meaning "vessel" or "ship," shares a similar root with the Sanskrit word "kapala," which refers to a "skull" or "head." | |||
Javanese | prau | ||
In Javanese, "prau" also means "vessel", but specifically a type of traditional sailboat or small ship. | |||
Khmer | នាវា | ||
The Khmer word "នាវា" is derived from the Sanskrit word "nāva", meaning "ship" or "boat". | |||
Lao | ເຮືອ | ||
Malay | kapal | ||
The word 'kapal' in Malay can also refer to the body of a vehicle or aircraft, or to a large container or tank. | |||
Thai | เรือ | ||
เรือ can also refer to a person's body, or to a container for holding something. | |||
Vietnamese | tàu | ||
The word "tàu" in Vietnamese can also refer to a train, plane, or spacecraft. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sisidlan | ||
Azerbaijani | gəmi | ||
The word "gəmi" can also refer to a submarine or airplane in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | кеме | ||
The word "кеме" in Kazakh is a derivative of the word "кеме" in Persian, meaning ship, vessel, or boat, and is related to the word "keme" in Turkish, also meaning vessel. | |||
Kyrgyz | идиш | ||
The term "идиш" is also used metaphorically to refer to a person's capacity or ability for doing something. | |||
Tajik | зарф | ||
In Persian, "zarf" means both "vessel" and "container" with a "lid" or "cover". | |||
Turkmen | gämi | ||
Uzbek | idish | ||
The word "idish" can also refer to a large wooden scoop or a trough for kneading dough. | |||
Uyghur | قاچا | ||
Hawaiian | moku | ||
The Hawaiian word "moku" also means "island" or "district". | |||
Maori | kaipuke | ||
In Maori, the term "kaipuke" can also refer to a large group of people or an army. | |||
Samoan | vaʻa | ||
"Vaʻa" can also refer to a Samoan canoe made of two logs tied together. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sisidlan | ||
The word "sisidlan" can also refer to a container or a place where something is kept. |
Aymara | jach'a yampu | ||
Guarani | kagua | ||
Esperanto | ŝipo | ||
The word "ŝipo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *šipъ, which also means "arrowhead" or "shipboard beam". | |||
Latin | vasa pretiosa | ||
Vasa pretiosa, meaning "vessel" in Latin, also refers to sacred vessels used in religious ceremonies. |
Greek | σκάφος | ||
Ancient Greek word σκάφος (skaphós) also referred to a hollowed out trough or log used as primitive boat, the root of which is Indo-European stem *skep- "to cut, scoop". | |||
Hmong | txog ntsha | ||
The Hmong word "txog ntsha" is cognate with the Thai "kong thaang" and "khong thaan" and possibly relates to an ancient Southeast Asian water-based society. | |||
Kurdish | gemî | ||
The Kurdish word "gemî" derives from the Persian "jahaz" and can also refer to a spacecraft or a vehicle. | |||
Turkish | gemi | ||
The Turkish word "Gemi" originates from the Persian word "kambu" meaning "ship" but also denotes a "vessel" in the sense of a container for liquids. | |||
Xhosa | inqanawa | ||
The Xhosa word "inqanawa" can also mean "a place where something is kept or stored". | |||
Yiddish | שיף | ||
"שיף" (vessel) in Yiddish also means "nave" (hub) in Hebrew and "ship" in German. | |||
Zulu | umkhumbi | ||
The word 'umkhumbi' also denotes a container used for carrying liquids, such as water or milk. | |||
Assamese | পাত্ৰ | ||
Aymara | jach'a yampu | ||
Bhojpuri | पतीला | ||
Dhivehi | ވެސަލް | ||
Dogri | भांडा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sisidlan | ||
Guarani | kagua | ||
Ilocano | pagikkan ti danum | ||
Krio | bot | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کەشتی | ||
Maithili | बरतन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯇ꯭ꯔ | ||
Mizo | bawm | ||
Oromo | baattuu dhangala'aa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପାତ୍ର | ||
Quechua | wanpu | ||
Sanskrit | पात्र | ||
Tatar | судно | ||
Tigrinya | መርከብ | ||
Tsonga | xikepe | ||