Vial and Phial Are the Same Word
A vial is a small container for liquid. The spelling with ph is the older one.
A vial is a small container, usually glass, for holding liquid medicines or samples. *Phial* is the same word with an older spelling, closer to the Greek *phiale*, a shallow drinking bowl. English standardised on *vial* in America and kept *phial* alongside it in Britain, so the two are genuine spelling variants rather than different things. The Greek original was a broad flat dish, not a narrow tube — the shape changed entirely while the name stayed.
- A small bottle. *A glass vial.*
- Phial — the older spelling. *A phial.*
- A sample container. *A sample vial.*
- Phiale — a shallow bowl. *The Greek.*
- Greek — *phiale*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | vial | A vial. |
| Plural | vials | Vials. |
| Variant | phial | A phial. |
| Greek | phiale | A shallow bowl. |
| Latin | phiala | A bowl. |
- A vial of vaccine.Medicine.
- Phial is the older spelling.Variant.
- Phiale was a flat dish.History.
Small vessels compared
- Vial — small, usually for liquid medicine or samples
- Ampoule — sealed by melting the glass, opened by snapping
- Flask — flat-sided or narrow-necked, often for carrying
- Phial — the same as a vial
- Cruet — for oil or vinegar at table
Greek *phiale*, a shallow bowl, through Latin *phiala* and Old French.
Is a phial different from a vial?
No. They are spelling variants of the same word, phial being closer to the Greek original.
What did the Greek word mean?
A broad shallow drinking bowl, quite unlike the narrow tube the word now names.