Meanings
nounflask (plural flasks)
plural flasks
- A narrow-necked vessel of metal or glass, used for various purposes; as of sheet metal, to carry gunpowder in; or of wrought iron, to contain quicksilver; or of glass, to heat water in, etc.
- A container used to discreetly carry a small amount of a hard alcoholic beverage; a pocket flask.
- engineeringA container for holding a casting mold, especially for sand casting molds.
- A bed in a gun carriage.
- A nuclear flask, a large, secure lead-lined container for the transport of nuclear material.
Over the years, the railway has been the safest way to move hazardous chemicals, radioactive waste, fuel for Royal Navy nuclear submarines and imported fuel for reprocessing, as well as flasks containing fuel rods to and from British power stations.
2023 December 27, Ben Jones, “Inside Sellafield... by rail”, in RAIL, number 999, page 21 - NewfoundlandA small bottle of liquor.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Frenchflasque“powder flask”
- Italianfiasco
- Proto-Indo-European*pleḱ-“to weave”
- Proto-Indo-European*ploḱ-skō“flat”
- Proto-Germanic*flaskǭ“braid-covered bottle, wicker-enclosed jug”
- Frankish*flaskā
- Medieval Latinflascō“bottle”
- Old Englishflasce
- Middle Englishflask
- Englishflask
From Middle English flask, flaske (“case, cask, keg”), from Old English flasce, flaxe (“bottle, flask”) and Medieval Latin flascō (“bottle”); from Frankish *flaskā; both from Proto-Germanic *flaskǭ (“braid-covered bottle, wicker-enclosed jug”), from Proto-Indo-European *ploḱ-skō (“flat”), or from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- (“to weave”). Doublet of fiasco, flacon, and flagon. Related to Dutch fles; also German Low German Flaske, Fless, German Flasche, Danish flaske; also Lithuanian plókščias, Czech ploský, Albanian flashkët. The sense “laboratory glassware” is from Italian fiasco, and the sense “container for holding a casting mold” is from Middle French flasque (“powder flask”), itself from Old Spanish flasco, frasco, both from Late Latin above.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek λήκυθος
- λήκυθος (lḗkuthos)container for a small amount of beverage
Arabic دَوْرَق, زَمْزَمِيَّة
- دَوْرَق (dawraq)container for a small amount of beverage
- زَمْزَمِيَّة (zamzamiyya)container to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- قَارُورَة (qārūra)container to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
Bulgarian пло́ска бути́лка, мане́рка
- пло́ска бути́лка (plóska butílka)container for a small amount of beverage
- мане́рка (manérka)container for a small amount of beverage
- ма́терка (máterka)container for a small amount of beverage
- ко́лба (kólba)laboratory glassware
Catalan matràs
- matràslaboratory glassware
Chinese Mandarin 水壺 /水壶, 長頸瓶 /长颈瓶
- 水壺 /水壶 (shuǐhú)container for a small amount of beverage
- 長頸瓶 /长颈瓶 (chángjǐngpíng)container for a small amount of beverage
- 方瓶 (fāngpíng)container to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- 扁瓶 (biǎnpíng)container to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
Czech čutora, plochá láhev
- čutoracontainer for a small amount of beverage
- plochá láhevcontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- placatkacontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- baňkalaboratory glassware
Danish flaske, feltflaske
- flaskecontainer for a small amount of beverage
- feltflaskecontainer for a small amount of beverage
- termokandecontainer for a small amount of beverage
- lommelærkecontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- kolbelaboratory glassware
- krudthornbed in a gun carriage
Esperanto flakono, karafo
- flakonocontainer for a small amount of beverage
- karafocontainer for a small amount of beverage
- flakonocontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- fiolocontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- flakonolaboratory glassware
Estonian plasku
- plaskucontainer for a small amount of beverage
Finnish taskumatti, taskumatti
- taskumatticontainer for a small amount of beverage
- taskumatticontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- laboratoriopullolaboratory glassware
French flacon, flasque
- flaconcontainer for a small amount of beverage
- flasquecontainer for a small amount of beverage
- flasquecontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- fiolelaboratory glassware
German Flasche, Flachmann
- Flaschecontainer for a small amount of beverage
- Flachmanncontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- Taschenflaschecontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- Kolbenlaboratory glassware
- Flakonlaboratory glassware
- Formkastencontainer for holding a (sand) casting mold
Greek φλασκί, παγούρι
- φλασκί (flaskí)container for a small amount of beverage
- παγούρι (pagoúri)container for a small amount of beverage
- φλασκί (flaskí)laboratory glassware
Hebrew בקבוקון כיס שטוח, בקבוק אלכוהול אישי לכיס
- בקבוקון כיס שטוחcontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- בקבוק אלכוהול אישי לכיסcontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
Hindi फ़्लास्क
- फ़्लास्क (flāsk)container for a small amount of beverage
Hungarian flaska, kulacs
- flaskacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- kulacscontainer for a small amount of beverage
- italosüvegcontainer for a small amount of beverage
- csutoracontainer for a small amount of beverage
- lombiklaboratory glassware
Indonesian labu
- labucontainer for a small amount of beverage
Italian fiaschetta, boccetta
- fiaschettacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- boccettacontainer for a small amount of beverage
Japanese 水筒, フラスコ
- 水筒 (suitō)container for a small amount of beverage
- フラスコ (furasuko)container for a small amount of beverage
Korean 플라스크
- 플라스크 (peullaseukeu)container for a small amount of beverage
Latin ampulla, laguncula
- ampullacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- lagunculacontainer for a small amount of beverage
Malay kelalang
- kelalangcontainer for a small amount of beverage
Māori takawai, waipāta
- takawaicontainer for a small amount of beverage
- waipātacontainer for a small amount of beverage
Norwegian Bokmål kolbe
- kolbelaboratory glassware
Polish manierka, piersiówka
- manierkacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- piersiówkacontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- kolbalaboratory glassware
Portuguese frasco, frasco
- frascocontainer for a small amount of beverage
- frascolaboratory glassware
Romanian flacon, flacon
- flaconcontainer for a small amount of beverage
- flaconcontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- sticluțăcontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
Russian фля́жка, фля́га
- фля́жка (fljážka)container for a small amount of beverage
- фля́га (fljága)container for a small amount of beverage
- фля́жка (fljážka)container to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- ко́лба (kólba)laboratory glassware
- флако́н (flakón)laboratory glassware
- опо́ка (opóka)container for holding a (sand) casting mold
Slovak čutora, ploskačka
- čutoracontainer for a small amount of beverage
- ploskačkacontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- baňkalaboratory glassware
Spanish petaca, licorera disfrazada
- petacacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- licorera disfrazadacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- petacacontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- matrazlaboratory glassware
- redomalaboratory glassware
Swahili chupa
- chupacontainer for a small amount of beverage
Swedish plunta, flaska
- pluntacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- flaskacontainer for a small amount of beverage
- fickflaskacontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- fickpluntacontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- fältflaskacontainer to carry a small amount of alcoholic beverage; pocket flask
- kolvlaboratory glassware
Tagalog redoma
- redomacontainer for a small amount of beverage
Ukrainian пля́шка, фля́жка
- пля́шка (pljáška)container for a small amount of beverage
- фля́жка (fljážka)container for a small amount of beverage
- фля́га (fljáha)container for a small amount of beverage
- ко́лба (kólba)laboratory glassware
- флако́н (flakón)laboratory glassware
Urdu فِلاسْک
- فِلاسْک (filāsk)container for a small amount of beverage
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with flask
asktaskmaskbasqueunmaskcaskmasquebaskmasccasquepaschlaskpasqueabaskChannel-Port aux BasquesNaskhPort aux Basques
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
flask. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flask
MLA
“flask.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flask. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flask,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flask.
Source: flask on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.