AMPULLA, a small, narrow necked, round-bodied vase for holding liquids, especially oil and perfumes. It was used in ancient times for toilet purposes and an ointing corpses, being then buried with them. Gildas mentions am pullae as used by the Britons in his time, and St. Columba is said to have used an ampulla in crowning King Aidan. In the Western Church the name is still applied to the vessel containing the oil consecrated by the bishop for ritual uses. It occurs in the English coronation service in con nection with the ancient cere mony of anointing by the arch bishop of Canterbury, which is still observed. The ampulla of the regalia of England takes the form of an eagle. The ampulla known as la sainte ampoule, at Reims, from which the kings of France were anointed (supposed to have been brought from heaven by a dove for the coronation of Clovis), was destroyed at the Revo lution. The word is used in biology for a certain portion of the anatomy of a plant or animal.