bile duct

American

noun

Anatomy.

a large duct that transports bile from the liver to the duodenum, having in humans and many other vertebrates a side branch to a gallbladder for bile storage.

bile duct Scientific

Any of the passages that carry bile from the liver or gallbladder to the duodenum.

Etymology

Origin of bile duct

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some cases involved vanishing bile duct syndrome, a liver condition characterized by the progressive destruction of bile ducts in the liver, the agency said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

CA19-9 levels can rise in non-cancerous conditions like pancreatitis or bile duct obstruction, and some people do not produce the marker at all due to genetic differences.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

“While recovering from the transplant, he contracted a bile duct infection, which led to hemodialysis to filter out the toxins in his body.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025

She had half her pancreas, bile duct and gall bladder removed, along with part of her gut and stomach.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025

If the bile duct was long, it pointed to a long life.

From The Evolution of Modern Medicine A Series of Lectures Delivered at Yale University on the Silliman Foundation in April, 1913 by Osler, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023