canal Definition
ca·nal (kə nal′)
noun
- an artificial waterway for transportation or irrigation
- a river artificially improved by locks, levees, etc. to permit navigation
- any of the long, narrow lines, visible from earth, on the planet Mars: once thought by some to be canals but now known to be optical illusions
- Anat. any of various tubular passages or ducts
Etymology: ME, pipe or tube < OFr < L canalis, pipe, groove, channel < canna, reed: see cane
transitive verb -·nalled′ or -·naled′, -·nal′·ling or -·nal′·ing
to build a canal through or across
canal Synonyms
canal Usage Examples
Converse of object
- restore: The restored canal would bring increased tourism throughout its length rather than in its present concentrations.
- overlook: The back yard wall overlooked the canal and over the canal was Nazareth House Convent.
Adjective modifier
- alimentary: Trikatu formula increases the digestive fire, which then burns away these accumulated toxins and cleanses the alimentary canal.
- semicircular: In your ear there are the semicircular canals which are linked to muscular co-ordination.
- inguinal: One month later he returned with this large indurated abscess, thought to be in the inguinal canal.
- spinal: Sometimes the annulus of the disk is completely torn and nuclear material escapes into the spinal canal.
- anal: There are actually four types of tissue in the anal canal, which can give rise to different cancers.
- Lowland: Among other things they are very keen to promote angling among young people in the communities along the Lowland canals.
Modifies a noun
- towpath: The route to the site was along the canal towpath.
- basin: In addition, he moved the foundry to a new site near the Exeter canal basin at Water Lane.
- restoration: Having spearheaded canal restoration for half a century the IWA are now having to work hard to keep up with the pace.
- boat: I think a canal boat holiday would be cool!
- barge: It's possible it will be transported, in pieces, by canal barge!
- bridge: He came within half a mile of taking a canal bridge on the road to Nijmegen.
Noun used with modifier
- tub-boat: An advocate of wheeled boats and inclined planes on tub-boat canals.
- ear: The inner ear canal should not be too heavily coated.
- panama: Has dedicated a however the ultra I need a cruise the panama canal.
- furlong: Description: A 14 mile 5 furlong canal that ran from the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill to Cromford with a branch to Pixton.
- root: Millions of root canals are performed each year in the United States.
- barge: Kennet and Avon Canal Samuel Simcock He, Samuel Weston and James Barnes made surveys for narrow and barge canals from Newbury to Bath.
Browse dictionary entries near canal
- ‹ canaille
- ‹ Canadianism
- ‹ Canadian Shield
- ‹ Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
- ‹ Canadian French
- ‹ Canadian football
- ‹ Canadian English
- ‹ Canadian Criminal Code
- ‹ Canadian Communications Security Establishment
- ‹ Canadian bacon
- canal rays ›
- Canal Zone ›
- canalboat ›
- Canaletto ›
- canaliculate ›
- canaliculus ›
- canalization ›
- canalize ›
- canapé ›
- canard ›

