English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
noun

phial

Quiz me More like this

Phial (noun) means a small glass bottle, usually with a lid, used to hold liquid such as medicine.

noun
1
A small glass bottle, usually with a lid, used to hold liquid such as medicine.
"He sat musing for a little with the phial in his hand, looking at the clear liquid within." — Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Creeping Man (1923)
"She held up a small crystal phial: it glittered as she moved it, and rays of white light sprang from her hand." — John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Farewell to Lórien (1954)
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like phial.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Test yourself on “phial” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Etymology

The noun has two strands. One is from Middle English fiole, phiole, phial (“small bowl or cup for liquids, etc.; flask”), among other forms, from Middle French fiole, phiole, among other forms, and Old French fiole (modern French fiole), from Late Latin fiola, phiola, from Latin phiala (“broad, flat, shallow bowl or cup”), from Ancient Greek φιάλη (phiálē, “round and shallow bowl, pan, or saucer”), probably from Pre-Greek. The other strand is directly from Latin phiala (as above). The verb comes from the noun. It is a doublet of vial. Its cognates include Catalan fiola, French fiole, Italian fiala, and Old Occitan fiola (Occitan fiòla).

ampul ampule vial ampoule

Related words

Rhymes for phial

See all rhymes for phial →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of phial?
"phial" (noun) means a small glass bottle, usually with a lid, used to hold liquid such as medicine.
What is another word for phial?
Other words for "phial" include ampul, ampule, vial, ampoule.

People also searched

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0