bile duct

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. 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.

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bile duct Scientific  

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

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Etymology

Origin of bile duct

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Thirteen of those deaths were attributed to vanishing bile duct syndrome, a condition marked by the destruction of the ducts that carry bile out of the liver.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 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

Two others had a rare bile duct cancer called cholangiocarcinoma.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2024

Into this wide part of the duodenum, 3 or 4 mm. from the pylorus, opens the bile duct, bd.

From Development of the Digestive Canal of the American Alligator by Reese, C. M.