siphon
or sy·phon
[ sahy-fuh n ]
/ ˈsaɪ fən /
noun
a tube or conduit bent into legs of unequal length, for use in drawing a liquid from one container into another on a lower level by placing the shorter leg into the container above and the longer leg into the one below, the liquid being forced up the shorter leg and into the longer one by the pressure of the atmosphere.
a projecting tubular part of some animals, especially certain mollusks, through which liquid enters or leaves the body.
verb (used with or without object)
to convey, draw, or pass through or as if through a siphon (sometimes followed by off): to siphon water; to siphon off profits into a secret bank account.
Origin of siphon
1650–60; < Latin
sīphōn- (stem of
sīphō) < Greek
síphōn, sī́phōn pipe, tube
OTHER WORDS FROM siphon
Words nearby siphon
sioux state,
sioux war,
sip,
sipe,
siphnos,
siphon,
siphon bottle,
siphonage,
siphonapterous,
siphono-,
siphonophore
Example sentences from the Web for siphoning
British Dictionary definitions for siphoning
siphon
syphon
/ (ˈsaɪfən) /
noun
a tube placed with one end at a certain level in a vessel of liquid and the other end outside the vessel below this level, so that liquid pressure forces the liquid through the tube and out of the vessel by gravity
See soda siphon
zoology
any of various tubular organs in different aquatic animals, such as molluscs and elasmobranch fishes, through which a fluid, esp water, passes
verb
(often foll by off)
to pass or draw off through or as if through a siphon
Derived forms of siphon
siphonage, noun siphonal or siphonic (saɪˈfɒnɪk), adjectiveWord Origin for siphon
C17: from Latin
sīphō, from Greek
siphōn siphon
Medical definitions for siphoning
siphon
[ sī′fən ]
n.
A tube bent into an inverted U shape of unequal lengths, used to remove fluid by means of atmospheric pressure from a cavity or reservoir at one end of the tube over a barrier and out the other end.
v.
To draw off or convey through a siphon.
To pass through a siphon.
Scientific definitions for siphoning
siphon
[ sī′fən ]
A pipe or tube in the form of an upside-down U, filled with liquid and arranged so that the pressure of the atmosphere forces liquid to flow upward from a container through the tube, over a barrier, and into a lower container.
A tubular animal part, as of a clam, through which water is taken in or expelled.