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channel

1
[ chan-l ]
/ ˈtʃæn l /
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See synonyms for: channel / channeling / channelled / channelling on Thesaurus.com

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.
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Origin of channel

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English chanel, can(n)el, from Old French chanel, canel, from Latin canālis “waterpipe, conduit”; see canal

OTHER WORDS FROM channel

Other definitions for channel (2 of 2)

channel2
[ 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.
Also chain wale, chain-wale [cheyn-weyl, chan-l] /ˈtʃeɪnˌweɪl, ˈtʃæn l/ .

Origin of channel

2
First recorded in 1760–70; variant of chain wale
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use channel in a sentence

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, noun

Word 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)

Channel
/ (ˈtʃænəl) /

noun
the Channel short for English Channel
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

Scientific definitions for channel

channel
[ chănəl ]

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.

Other 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.
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