vās, vāsis; plur. vāsa, ōrum (anteclass. collat. form of the nom. sing. vāsum, Cato ap. Gell. 13, 23, 1; Fab. Pict. ap. Non. 544, 26; Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 33 sq.: vasus fictilis, Petr. 57, 8; dat. plur. vasibus, Gargil. Martial. Pomif. Arb. 4, 4; apocopated, vas' argenteis, for vasis, acc. to Cic. Or. 45, 153), n. Sanscr. root, vas-, to put on; vastram, clothing; Gr. ἕννυμι, εἷμα; Lat. vestis. In gen., a vessel, dish; also, a utensil, implement of any kind: vasa ahena ex aedibus (rapere), Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 61: aliquod vasum argenteum Aut aliquod vasum ahenum, id. Truc. 1, 1, 33: nihil relinquo in aedibus Nec vas nec vestimentum, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 89: corpus quasi vas est, aut aliquod animi receptaculum, Cic. Tusc. 1, 22, 52; cf. Vulg. 1 Thess. 4, 4: quassatis undique vasis, Diffluere umorem, Lucr. 3, 435: sincerum est nisi vas, quodcumque infundis acescit, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 54: vinarium, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 27, § 62: argentea, id. ib.; Hor. S. 2, 7, 72: Corinthia et Deliaca, Cic. Rosc. Am. 46, 133: Samia, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 41; Cic. Mur. 36, 75: escaria, Plin. 37, 2, 7, § 18.
—Of implements for supporting any thing: si vasa sint legata, non solum ea continentur, quae aliquid in se recipiunt edendi bibendique causā paratum, sed etiam quae aliquid sustineant: et ideo scutellas vel promulsidaria contineri, Dig. 34, 2, 20.
— Military equipments, baggage: ille ex Siciliā jam castra commoverat et vasa collegerat, had packed up, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 19, § 40: vasa colligere, Liv. 21, 47, 2; 27, 47, 8; cf. trop.: vasa in senectute colligere, Sen. Ep. 19, 1: vasa conclamare, to give the signal for packing up, Caes. B. C. 1, 66: 3, 37.
— Agricultural implements: vasa quae utilia culturae sunt, aratrum, ligones, sarcula, falces, bidentes, Dig. 33, 7, 8.
— Of beehives, Col. 9, 6, 1.
— Of hunting implements, Grat. Cyn. 219.
— In mal. part., Auct. Priap. 70; cf. in a double sense, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 41.