Drum vs. Vessel — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 28, 2024
A drum is a cylindrical container for storage or transport, while a vessel is a broader term for any container or craft, including ships and large containers.
Difference Between Drum and Vessel
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A drum typically refers to a cylindrical container used for shipping, storing, or transporting liquids and other materials. These containers are known for their sturdy construction, often made of steel or plastic, designed to handle the rigors of industrial use. On the other hand, a vessel encompasses a much wider range of containers or crafts, including everything from small bottles and vats to large ships and tanks. The term "vessel" is used in various contexts, from maritime to medical, indicating any object that can hold something else.
While drums are specifically designed for the storage and transportation of goods, often featuring a lid or top that can be securely sealed, vessels can have a variety of designs and purposes. Vessels might be open or closed, rigid or flexible, and their design is determined by their specific use. For example, a blood vessel is entirely different from a shipping vessel, highlighting the term's versatility.
In terms of usage, drums are commonly found in industrial and commercial settings, used to transport hazardous materials, chemicals, oils, and other substances. Vessels, however, have a broader usage spectrum, ranging from the culinary domain (pots and pans) to the nautical (boats and ships) and beyond. This distinction underscores the functional specificity of drums as opposed to the general applicability of vessels.
Materials and construction of drums are typically standardized, especially for industrial applications, adhering to regulations for safety and compatibility with the materials they contain. Vessels, due to their varied applications, are made from a wide array of materials, including metal, glass, ceramic, wood, and more. The choice of material is often dictated by the vessel's intended use, whether it's to contain a liquid, withstand high temperatures, or navigate the ocean.
Understanding the difference between a drum and a vessel is crucial in fields such as logistics, manufacturing, and maritime operations. While a drum is a type of vessel, its specific characteristics and applications distinguish it from the broader category of vessels, which can include anything designed to hold or transport goods, substances, or people.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A cylindrical container for storage or transport, often of liquids.
A broad term for any container or craft, including ships.
Design
Typically cylindrical, with a sealed top or lid.
Varies widely, from bottles to ships, depending on use.
Usage
Used for shipping, storing, or transporting materials, especially liquids.
Encompasses a wide range of uses, including culinary, maritime, and medical contexts.
Materials
Often steel or plastic for industrial strength and durability.
Can be made from metal, glass, ceramic, wood, and more, depending on the specific application.
Specificity
Specific to the context of industrial or commercial transport and storage.
Broad and versatile, applying to any object that can hold something.
Compare with Definitions
Drum
A cylindrical container for transporting and storing liquids and other materials.
The factory stores its chemicals in large steel drums.
Vessel
A broad term for any container or craft, from small bottles to large ships.
The navy's newest vessel is equipped with the latest technology.
Drum
Designed to be sturdy and durable, often made of steel or plastic.
The drums used for shipping oil are tested for leaks and durability.
Vessel
Comes in various designs, tailored to specific uses.
The chef uses a special ceramic vessel for slow-cooking stews.
Drum
Commonly used in industrial settings for hazardous materials.
Hazardous waste is often transported in specially designed drums to prevent spills.
Vessel
Designed to hold or transport goods, substances, or people.
Cargo vessels play a crucial role in international trade, carrying goods across oceans.
Drum
Must adhere to specific regulations for safety and material compatibility.
The company ensures that all its drums meet international safety standards for chemical storage.
Vessel
Used in a wide range of contexts, including culinary, maritime, and medical.
In surgery, doctors must be careful not to nick any blood vessels.
Drum
Features a lid or top that can be securely sealed for safety.
Each drum has a tight-fitting lid to ensure that hazardous materials are contained.
Vessel
Made from a wide range of materials, depending on use.
Glass vessels are preferred in laboratories for chemical reactions.
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone.
Vessel
A hollow or concave utensil for holding anything; a hollow receptacle of any kind, as a hogshead, a barrel, a firkin, a bottle, a kettle, a cup, a bowl, etc.
[They drank] out of these noble vessels.
Drum
A percussion instrument sounded by being struck with sticks or the hands, typically cylindrical, barrel-shaped, or bowl-shaped, with a taut membrane over one or both ends
A shuffling dance to the beat of a drum
Vessel
A ship or large boat.
Drum
A cylindrical container or receptacle
A drum of powdered bleach
Vessel
A hollow utensil, such as a cup, vase, or pitcher, used as a container, especially for liquids.
Drum
A house or flat.
Vessel
(Nautical) A craft, especially one larger than a rowboat, designed to navigate on water.
Drum
An evening or afternoon tea party of a kind that was popular in the late 18th and early 19th century
A drum at Lady Beresford's
Vessel
An airship.
Drum
A piece of reliable inside information
He had got the drum that the police wouldn't lock us up
Vessel
(Botany) One of the tubular water-conducting structures of xylem, consisting of a series of vessel elements attached end to end and connected by perforations. Vessels are found in nearly all flowering plants.
Drum
A long, narrow hill, especially one separating two parallel valleys.
Vessel
A person seen as the agent or embodiment, as of a quality
A vessel of mercy.
Drum
A fish that makes a drumming sound by vibrating its swim bladder, found mainly in estuarine and shallow coastal waters.
Vessel
(nautical) Any craft designed for transportation on water, such as a ship or boat.
Drum
Play on a drum
He channelled his energies into drumming with local groups
Vessel
A craft designed for transportation through air or space.
Drum
Give (someone) reliable information or a warning
I'm drumming you, if they come I'm going
Vessel
Dishes and cutlery collectively, especially if made of precious metals.
Drum
A percussion instrument consisting of a hollow cylinder or hemisphere with a membrane stretched tightly over one or both ends, played by beating with the hands or sticks.
Vessel
A container of liquid or other substance, such as a glass, goblet, cup, bottle, bowl, or pitcher.
Drum
A sound produced by this instrument.
Vessel
A person as a container of qualities or feelings.
A teacher should be a vessel of knowledge.
Drum
Something resembling a drum in shape or structure, especially a barrellike metal container or a metal cylinder wound with cable, wire, or heavy rope.
Vessel
(transitive) To put into a vessel.
Drum
A circular or polygonal wall supporting a dome or cupola. Also called tambour.
Vessel
A general name for any hollow structure made to float upon the water for purposes of navigation; especially, one that is larger than a common rowboat; as, a war vessel; a passenger vessel.
[He] began to build a vessel of huge bulk.
Drum
Any of the cylindrical stone blocks that are stacked to form the shaft of a column.
Vessel
Fig.: A person regarded as receiving or containing something; esp. (Script.), one into whom something is conceived as poured, or in whom something is stored for use; as, vessels of wrath or mercy.
He is a chosen vessel unto me.
[The serpent] fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in whomTo enter.
Drum
Any of various marine and freshwater fishes of the family Sciaenidae that make a drumming sound by vibrating certain muscles attached to the swim bladder.
Vessel
A continuous tube formed from superposed large cylindrical or prismatic cells (tracheæ), which have lost their intervening partitions, and are usually marked with dots, pits, rings, or spirals by internal deposition of secondary membranes; a duct.
Drum
(Anatomy) The eardrum.
Vessel
To put into a vessel.
Drum
To play a drum or drums.
Vessel
A tube in which a body fluid circulates
Drum
To thump or tap rhythmically or continually
Nervously drummed on the table.
Vessel
A craft designed for water transportation
Drum
To produce a booming, reverberating sound by beating the wings, as certain birds do.
Vessel
An object used as a container (especially for liquids)
Drum
To perform (a piece or tune) on or as if on a drum.
Drum
To summon by or as if by beating a drum.
Drum
To make known to or force upon (a person) by constant repetition
Drummed the answers into my head.
Drum
To expel or dismiss in disgrace. Often used with out
Was drummed out of the army.
Drum
A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber; a membranophone.
Percussion instrument
Drum
Any similar hollow, cylindrical object.
Replace the drum unit of your printer.
Drum
A barrel or large cylindrical container for liquid transport and storage.
The restaurant ordered ketchup in 50-gallon drums.
Drum
(architecture) The encircling wall that supports a dome or cupola.
Drum
(architecture) Any of the cylindrical blocks that make up the shaft of a pillar.
Drum
A drumfish (family Sciaenidae).
Drum
A tip; a piece of information.
Drum
A small hill or ridge of hills.
Drum
A social gathering or assembly held in the evening.
Drum
A person's home; a house or other building, especially when insalubrious; a tavern, a brothel.
Drum
(informal) A drumstick (of chicken, turkey, etc).
Drum
(intransitive) To beat a drum.
Drum
(ambitransitive) To beat with a rapid succession of strokes.
The ruffed grouse drums with his wings.
Drum
(transitive) To drill or review in an attempt to establish memorization.
He’s still trying to drum Spanish verb conjugations into my head.
Drum
To throb, as the heart.
Drum
To go about, as a drummer does, to gather recruits, to draw or secure partisans, customers, etc.; used with for.
Drum
Of various animals, to make a vocalisation or mechanical sound that resembles drumming.
Drum
An instrument of percussion, consisting either of a hollow cylinder, over each end of which is stretched a piece of skin or vellum, to be beaten with a stick; or of a metallic hemisphere (kettledrum) with a single piece of skin to be so beaten; the common instrument for marking time in martial music; one of the pair of tympani in an orchestra, or cavalry band.
The drums cry bud-a-dub.
Drum
Anything resembling a drum in form
Drum
See Drumfish.
Drum
A noisy, tumultuous assembly of fashionable people at a private house; a rout.
Not unaptly styled a drum, from the noise and emptiness of the entertainment.
Drum
A tea party; a kettledrum.
Drum
To beat a drum with sticks; to beat or play a tune on a drum.
Drum
To beat with the fingers, as with drumsticks; to beat with a rapid succession of strokes; to make a noise like that of a beaten drum; as, the ruffed grouse drums with his wings.
Drumming with his fingers on the arm of his chair.
Drum
To throb, as the heart.
Drum
To go about, as a drummer does, to gather recruits, to draw or secure partisans, customers, etc,; - with for.
Drum
To execute on a drum, as a tune.
Drum
With out) To expel ignominiously, with beat of drum; as, to drum out a deserter or rogue from a camp, etc.
Drum
With up) To assemble by, or as by, beat of drum; to collect; to gather or draw by solicitation; as, to drum up recruits; to drum up customers.
Drum
A musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretch across each end
Drum
The sound of a drum;
He could hear the drums before he heard the fifes
Drum
A bulging cylindrical shape; hollow with flat ends
Drum
A cylindrical metal container used for shipping or storage of liquids
Drum
A hollow cast-iron cylinder attached to the wheel that forms part of the brakes
Drum
Small to medium-sized bottom-dwelling food and game fishes of shallow coastal and fresh waters that make a drumming noise
Drum
Make a rhythmic sound;
Rain drummed against the windshield
The drums beat all night
Drum
Play a percussion instrument
Drum
Study intensively, as before an exam;
I had to bone up on my Latin verbs before the final exam
Common Curiosities
How are vessels used in the medical field?
In medicine, vessels refer to tubular structures carrying blood (blood vessels) or to containers used in laboratories.
Can the term 'vessel' apply to objects used in the kitchen?
Yes, culinary containers such as pots, pans, and bowls are considered vessels.
What makes a drum different from other types of vessels?
A drum is a specific type of vessel designed primarily for industrial transport and storage, typically cylindrical and made of durable materials like steel or plastic.
Is a boat considered a vessel?
Yes, boats, ships, and similar crafts are categorized as vessels in maritime contexts.
Why is it important to follow regulations for drums?
Regulations ensure that drums are safe for transporting and storing hazardous materials, preventing leaks and spills that could pose environmental or health risks.
Are there vessels designed for scientific research?
Yes, laboratories use various vessels like beakers, flasks, and petri dishes for experiments and research.
Are all drums made of steel?
No, drums can also be made of plastic or other materials, depending on their intended use and the substances they will contain.
What role do drums play in logistics?
Drums are crucial for safely transporting and storing liquids and hazardous materials in industrial and commercial logistics.
How do the materials of drums and vessels affect their use?
The choice of material impacts a drum's or vessel's durability, suitability for containing certain substances, and overall safety.
Can vessels be used for decoration?
Yes, many vessels, such as vases and urns, are designed for decorative purposes.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
