*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of phial

The noun is derived partly: * from Middle English fiole, phiole, phial (“small bowl or cup for liquids, etc.; flask”) [and other forms], from Middle French fiole, phiole [and other forms], and Old French fiole (modern Fr

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To keep or put (something, especially a liquid) in, or as if in, a phial.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The noun is derived partly: * from Middle English fiole, phiole, phial (“small bowl or cup for liquids, etc.; flask”) [and other forms], from Middle French fiole, phiole [and 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; and * directly from Latin phiala (see above). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of vial. Cognates * Catalan fiola * French fiole * Italian fiala * Old Occitan fiola (Occitan fiòla)

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionfioleenm
  • Derivation mentionfiolefrm
  • Derivation mentionfiolefro
  • Cognate mentionfiolefr
  • Derivation mentionphialala · broad, flat, shallow bowl or cup
  • Derivation mentionφιάληgrc · round and shallow bowl, pan, or saucer
  • Derivation mentionphialala
  • Cognate mentionfiolaca
  • Cognate mentionfialait
  • Cognate mentionfiolapro
  • Cognate mentionfiòlaoc
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "glossary",
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        "1": "noun"
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      "expansion": "noun"
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fiole"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fiole"
    },
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      "name": "nb...",
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        "1": "fial, fialle, fiol, fyale, fyall, fyol, fyole, fyoll, vial, viel, viele, viole",
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      "expansion": "[and other forms]"
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      "name": "der",
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        "3": "fiole"
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      "expansion": "Middle French fiole"
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      "expansion": "Old French fiole"
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "fr",
        "2": "fiole"
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      "expansion": "French fiole"
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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
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      "expansion": "Latin phiala"
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    },
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      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "vial"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of vial"
    },
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        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "ca",
        "2": "fiola"
      },
      "expansion": "Catalan fiola"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "fr",
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      "expansion": "French fiole"
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "it",
        "2": "fiala"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian fiala"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "pro",
        "2": "fiola"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Occitan fiola"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "oc",
        "2": "fiòla"
      },
      "expansion": "Occitan fiòla"
    }
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      "fiole",
      "fiole#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "phiole",
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    ],
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      "phial",
      "phial#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "fiole",
      "fiole#Middle_French"
    ],
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      "phiole",
      "phiole#Middle_French"
    ],
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      "fiole",
      "fiole#Old_French"
    ],
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      "fiole",
      "fiole#French"
    ],
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      "fiola",
      "fiola#Latin"
    ],
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      "phiola",
      "phiola#Latin"
    ],
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A bottle or other vessel for containing a liquid; originally any such vessel, especially one for holding a beverage; now (specifically), a small, narrow glass bottle with a cap used to hold liquid chemicals, medicines, etc.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The noun is derived partly: * from Middle English fiole, phiole, phial (“small bowl or cup for liquids, etc.; flask”) [and other forms], from Middle French fiole, phiole [and 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; and * directly from Latin phiala (see above). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of vial. Cognates * Catalan fiola * French fiole * Italian fiala * Old Occitan fiola (Occitan fiòla)

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionfioleenm
  • Derivation mentionfiolefrm
  • Derivation mentionfiolefro
  • Cognate mentionfiolefr
  • Derivation mentionphialala · broad, flat, shallow bowl or cup
  • Derivation mentionφιάληgrc · round and shallow bowl, pan, or saucer
  • Derivation mentionphialala
  • Cognate mentionfiolaca
  • Cognate mentionfialait
  • Cognate mentionfiolapro
  • Cognate mentionfiòlaoc
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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      "expansion": "Middle French fiole"
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      "expansion": "Old French fiole"
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        "1": "fr",
        "2": "fiole"
      },
      "expansion": "French fiole"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "fiola"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin fiola"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "phiala",
        "t": "broad, flat, shallow bowl or cup"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin phiala (“broad, flat, shallow bowl or cup”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "grc",
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      },
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    },
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        "1": "en",
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      },
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      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ca",
        "2": "fiola"
      },
      "expansion": "Catalan fiola"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "fiole"
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      "expansion": "French fiole"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "it",
        "2": "fiala"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian fiala"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pro",
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      },
      "expansion": "Old Occitan fiola"
    },
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      "phial",
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      "fiole",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for phial →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-cGhpYWw