Ampulla

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /æmˈpʊlə/

Definitions

1. A container designed to hold liquids, often associated with religious rituals or processes, which may also refer to a rounded structure within a biological context
2. A small, typically rounded vessel utilized for liquid storage, often linked to ceremonial uses and also describing anatomical sacs
3. A glass or metal vial used to transport or store small amounts of liquid, frequently employed in medical or sacred ceremonies and describing dilated sections of ducts in anatomy

Etymology: The Latin "ampulla" was a small round flask with a narrow neck and two handles, and the Romans used it for wine, oil and perfume. Its diminutive-style form is built on the older "amphora", the large two-handled jar, so the little vessel carries the big one's shape in miniature. The word has a surprising second life in the body: "ampulla" is still used in anatomy and medicine for swollen, flask-shaped sacs and ducts, a sense that reaches back to the same bulbous container. English took the word directly from Latin, and it has a close relative that arrived by a different road. "Ampoule" came into English through French, so the two forms are doublets: one entered from Latin itself, the other passed through French and kept a more familiar spelling. Both now name the same kind of small sealed glass container for medicines or injections, and the Latin version has largely stayed in technical and scientific writing.