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 1941, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began diverting water from streams that feed the lake, sending it to the City of Angels via its controversial aqueduct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 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 turmoil in Istanbul played out in the shadow of a Roman aqueduct.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025

Located in the middle of Mexico, Querétaro is a charming and colourful colonial-style city known for its dazzling stone aqueduct.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2025

They met by the aqueduct, which had somehow survived the battle so far.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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

They were ancient Italy’s first great engineers, ambitious road-builders who drained land for development and showed the Romans how to build their famous aqueducts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 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

When they voted, board members said it’s important to rely less on water transported across the state in aqueducts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

“It would help, but I’m pretty sure I have the waterways memorized. There’s a map with the aqueducts and drainage channels all marked up in our garage.”

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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