Skip to content

fiole

vial, phial

noun FYOL Rare
Body & Health Medicine

Origin: From Old French, from Latin 'phiala' (shallow cup), via Greek.

Usage Note

Fiole is a small glass bottle, typically narrow-necked, used for liquids, medicines, or samples. It appears frequently in chemistry, pharmacy, and literary descriptions of potions or poisons. In informal spoken French, fiole can also mean someone's face or head — se payer la fiole de quelqu'un means 'to make fun of someone'.

Examples

"Le chimiste verse le liquide dans une fiole."

Natural Translation

The chemist pours the liquid into a vial.

Explore French by topic