vase.
1. Hollow vessel, unlidded, of decorative character and various forms, with or without handles.

2. Representation of this for architectural ornament, often in gardens, in niches, on pedestals, etc., but distinct from an urn, commonly found in Neo-Classical designs. Vases were promoted as architectural ornaments by Enea Vico (1523–67) in a series of publications, collected in 1543, Matthias Darly (fl. 1741–80) in The Ornamental Architect (1770), d'Hancarville ( P. F. Hugues (1729–1805)) in Antiquités Étrusques, Grecques, et Romaines (1766–7), Piranesi in Vasi, Candelabri, Cippi, Sarcofagi (1778), Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein (1751–1829) in Collection of Engravings from Ancient Vases (1791–3), and many other authors.

3. Bell or core of the Corinthian capital.

Bibliography

Jervis (1984);
Lewis & and Darley (1986)

vase / vās; vāz; väz/ • n. a decorative container, typically made of glass or china and used as an ornament or for displaying cut flowers.DERIVATIVES: vase·ful / -ˌfoŏl/ n. (pl. -fuls) .

vase ornamental vessel of circular section. XVII. — F. — L. vās, vāsum vessel, utensil. A comb. form vaso- is used in physiol. and path. terms relating to vascular parts XIX.