bile duct

American  

noun

Anatomy.

bile ducts plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bile ducts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bile duct

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Amgen said in its quarterly earnings release in late April that the drug “demonstrates effectiveness and a favorable benefit-risk profile,” and said that vanishing bile duct syndrome hadn’t affected patients in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 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

There is no separate pancreatic duct, but the bile duct runs through the pancreas, and receives a series of ducts from that gland as it does so.

From Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)