means A decorative open container, usually taller than it is wide, used to hold flowers or simply to look ornamental on its own.

from From French 'vase', which comes from Latin 'vas', meaning a vessel or container — the same root that gives us 'vascular' (the body's vessels) and 'vasculum'. The famous quarrel isn't about its origin but its sound: British English keeps the French-ish 'vahz', while American English flattened it to 'vayss', and the two have been politely disagreeing ever since.