syphon

[ sahy-fuh n ]
/ ˈsaɪ fən /

noun, verb (used with or without object)

siphon.

Words nearby syphon

syphilitic roseola, syphilo-, syphiloid, syphilology, syphiloma, syphon, syr, syr darya, syr., syracuse, syrah

Definition for syphon (2 of 2)

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.
siphon bottle.
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

Example sentences from the Web for syphon

British Dictionary definitions for syphon (1 of 2)

syphon
/ (ˈsaɪfən) /

noun

a variant spelling of siphon

British Dictionary definitions for syphon (2 of 2)

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), adjective

Word Origin for siphon

C17: from Latin sīphō, from Greek siphōn siphon

Medical definitions for syphon

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 syphon

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.