A small sealed glass container holding one exact dose of a liquid medicine. It has a narrow neck; the nurse snaps the top off, draws the liquid up with a needle, and throws the glass away. Because it is sealed by melting the glass shut, nothing can get in, so it keeps the medicine clean without any preservative — that is the whole point of it. One ampoule is one use; you never save half for tomorrow. In British writing the spelling is 'ampoule'; Americans usually write 'ampule' or 'ampul'. Outside hospitals you will also see the word on skincare in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan — a little glass or plastic tube of strong serum sold as a short course. That beauty use is now everywhere in Asia, and it borrows the medical feeling on purpose: small, sealed, one dose, powerful.

安瓿（醫院講的玻璃安瓶）；保養品那種一般人直接講「安瓶」。醫護人員唸「安瓿（ㄅㄨˋ）」，但美妝廣告和一般人都寫「安瓶」，兩個是同一個東西。