siphon Hear it!

siphon definition

si·phon (sī′fən)

noun

  1. a bent tube used for carrying liquid from a reservoir over the top edge of its container to a point below the surface of the reservoir: the tube must be filled, as by suction, before flow will start
  2. siphon bottle
  3. a tubelike organ in some animals, as cuttlefishes, used for drawing in or ejecting liquids

Etymology: Fr < L sipho (gen. siphonis) < Gr siphōn, tube, siphon

transitive verb

to draw off or carry through or as through a siphon

intransitive verb

to pass through a siphon

Related Forms:

  • siphonal si′·phonal (-əl) adjective or siphonic si·phon′ic (sī fän′ik)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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