duct

[ duhkt ]

/ dʌkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR duct ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any tube, canal, pipe, or conduit by which a fluid, air, or other substance is conducted or conveyed.

Anatomy, Zoology. a tube, canal, or vessel conveying a body fluid, especially a glandular secretion or excretion.

Botany. a cavity or vessel formed by elongated cells or by many cells.

Electricity. a single enclosed runway for conductors or cables.

Printing. (in a press) the reservoir for ink.

verb (used with object)

to convey or channel by means of a duct or ducts: Heat from the oven is ducted to the outside.

Nearby words

Origin of duct

1640–50; < Latin ductus conveyance (of water), hence channel (in ML), equivalent to duc- (variant stem of dūcere to lead) + -tus suffix of verbal action

Related formsduct·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for duct

With a bit of luck and duct tape, I thought we might put together enough votes to avoid a runoff.
How Thad Cochran Pulled Off a Win Over Chris McDaniel (Simple, Really)|Stuart Stevens|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The windows were sealed shut around the edges by duct tape but still rattled when it got windy.
Almost Famous: A Father's Day Story|Alex Belth|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The large roll of duct tape was still attached and found next to her head by firefighters.
Autopsies on Hannah Anderson’s Family Bring Police No Closer to a Motive|Christine Pelisek|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“The bras are made of duct tape that has been burned with a blow torch,” Mirano told The Daily Beast.
Deconstructing Lady Gaga's 5 Bras in "Applause"|Erin Cunningham|August 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The grid is held together by the infrastructure equivalent of duct tape and prayer.
Super Bowl Blackout Should Help Build Momentum for a Smart Grid|John Avlon|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The assistant now holds these forceps and thus supports the sac so the operator can see the duct clearly.
Fur Farming For Profit|Hermon Basil Laymon
The upper end of the duct nevertheless extends some distance beyond the end of the kidney and opens into the abdominal cavity.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
In 19 the duct of Santorini was well developed but did not open into the duodenum.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington
Openings of ureters in Wolffian duct in the female (fig. 3).
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume IV (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
For a long time the pronephros and its duct form the only excretory organs of larval Amphibia.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for duct

duct

/ (dʌkt) /

noun

a tube, pipe, or canal by means of which a substance, esp a fluid or gas, is conveyed

any bodily passage, esp one conveying secretions or excretions

a narrow tubular cavity in plants, often containing resin or some other substance

Also called: conduit a channel or pipe carrying electric cable or wires

a passage through which air can flow, as in air conditioning

the ink reservoir in a printing press

Derived Formsductless, adjective

Word Origin for duct

C17: from Latin ductus a leading (in Medieval Latin: aqueduct), from dūcere to lead

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

Word Origin and History for duct

duct

1640s, "course, direction," from Latin ductus "a leading," past participle of ducere "to lead" (see duke (n.)). Anatomical sense is from 1660s. Meaning "conduit, channel" is 1713; that of "air tube in a structure" is from 1884.

Medicine definitions for duct