channel
1[ chan-l ]
/ ˈtʃæn l /
noun
verb (used with object), chan·neled, chan·nel·ing or (especially British) chan·nelled, chan·nel·ling.
verb (used without object), chan·neled, chan·nel·ing or (especially British) chan·nelled, chan·nel·ling.
to become marked by a channel: Soft earth has a tendency to channel during a heavy rain.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of channel
1First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chanel, from Old French, from Latin canālis“waterpipe”;see canal
OTHER WORDS FROM channel
Words nearby channel
Changteh, Chang Tso-lin, Changzhou, Chania, chank, channel, channel back, channel bass, channelbill, channel captain, channel catfish
Definition for channel (2 of 2)
channel2
or chain wale, chain-wale
[ chan-l ]
/ ˈtʃæn l /
noun
a horizontal timber or ledge built outboard from the side of a sailing vessel to spread shrouds and backstays outward.
Origin of channel
2First recorded in 1760–70; variant of chain wale
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for channel
British Dictionary definitions for channel (1 of 3)
channel1
/ (ˈtʃænəl) /
noun
verb -nels, -nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled
Derived forms of channel
channeller, nounWord Origin for channel
C13: from Old French chanel, from Latin canālis pipe, groove, conduit; see canal
British Dictionary definitions for channel (2 of 3)
channel2
/ (ˈtʃænəl) /
noun
nautical a flat timber or metal ledge projecting from the hull of a vessel above the chainplates to increase the angle of the shrouds
Word Origin for channel
C18: variant of earlier chainwale; see chain, wale 1 (planking)
British Dictionary definitions for channel (3 of 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for channel
channel
[ chăn′əl ]
n.
A furrow, tube, or other groovelike passageway through which something flows.
An aqueous pathway through a protein molecule in a cell membrane that modulates the electrical potential across the membrane by controlling the passage of small inorganic ions into and out of the cell.ion channel protein channel
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for channel
channel
[ chăn′əl ]
A specified frequency band for the transmission and reception of electromagnetic signals, as for television signals.
The part of a field effect transistor, usually U-shaped, through which current flows from the source to the drain. See more at field effect transistor.
A pathway through a protein molecule in a cell membrane that modulates the electrical potential across the membrane by controlling the passage of small inorganic ions into and out of the cell.
The bed or deepest part of a river or harbor.
A large strait, especially one that connects two seas.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with channel
channel
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.