aqueduct

American  

[ak-wi-duhkt] / ˈæk wɪˌdʌkt /

noun

• aqueducts
  plural

1. Civil Engineering.

   1. 

      a conduit or artificial channel for conducting water from a distance, usually by means of gravity.

   2. a bridgelike structure that carries a water conduit or canal across a valley or over a river.

2. Anatomy. a canal or passage through which liquids pass.

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aqueduct British  

/ ˈækwɪˌdʌkt /

noun

1. a conduit used to convey water over a long distance, either by a tunnel or more usually by a bridge

2. a structure, usually a bridge, that carries such a conduit or a canal across a valley or river

3. a channel in an organ or part of the body, esp one that conveys a natural body fluid

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• aqueducts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of aqueduct

< Medieval Latin aquēductus < Latin aquae ductus a drawing off of water. See aqua, duct

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Explanation

An aqueduct is a bridge-like system built to move water from one location to another. The ancient Romans were particularly famous for their aqueducts and some still stand today. The Romans didn't invent aqueducts, but they did help spawn the English word for one. Aqueduct comes from the Latin word aquæductus, which itself is from the roots aqua, meaning water, and ducere, meaning "to lead." Because of the root word aqua, there is a tendency to try to spell aqueduct with an A in place of the E, but now you'll know better.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aqueduct aqueducts

In the 20th century, the city built hundreds of miles of aqueduct to carry water across deserts and mountains, seeding a metropolis that has projected its music, film and culture around the globe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

In Sylmar, a suburban neighborhood in north Los Angeles that borders the Angeles and San Gabriel National Forests, Varela walked with Mendoza along the L.A. aqueduct.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

The L.A. aqueduct, an astonishing feat of engineering, brought hundreds of millions of gallons a day down more than 200 miles from the Owens Valley into the San Fernando Valley.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Fencing exists along the aqueduct and MWD facilities “to prevent unauthorized access,” and signage warns about the dangers of entering the canal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

A toddler gnome poked his head out of an aqueduct only a few feet from the hut.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

Arizona faces especially large cutbacks because the CAP isn’t nearly as old as other aqueducts, giving it low-priority water rights and putting it among the first in line for cuts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

He proves as adept at building things as destroying them, and oversees large public works, including sewers, aqueducts and the original Pantheon in Rome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The update will set rules for the Sacramento River and the rest of the Delta, where pumps operated by state and federal agencies send water flowing in aqueducts to farms and cities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The museum suffered damage, its windows were blown out, but the explosion did not reach the necropolis nor the Roman-era triumphal arch, aqueducts and hippodrome that are also part of the site.

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

“The aqueducts will be easier to navigate during the day. Right? So let’s accept the Water Angel’s invitation and spend the night. It’s not like we have to join their little cult.”

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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