duct

American  

[duhkt] / dʌkt /

noun

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

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

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

4. Electricity.  a single enclosed runway for conductors or cables.

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

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verb (used with object)

1. to convey or channel by means of a duct or ducts.

   Heat from the oven is ducted to the outside.

duct British  

/ dʌkt /

noun

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

2. any bodily passage, esp one conveying secretions or excretions

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

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

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

6. the ink reservoir in a printing press

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duct Scientific  

/ dŭkt /

1. A tube or tubelike structure through which something flows, especially a tube in the body for carrying a fluid secreted that is by a gland.

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Other Word Forms

• ductless adjective

Etymology

Origin of duct

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin ductus “conveyance (of water),” hence “channel” (in Medieval Latin ), equivalent to duc- (variant stem of dūcere “to lead”) + -tus suffix of verbal action

Example Sentences

Huguley was driven to a baseball field, bound with duct tape, doused with gasoline and set on fire.

From Barron's

MacPhail woke at 2:20 a.m. and applied toe caps, duct tape and Vaseline to his feet.

From The Wall Street Journal

The day before the crime, they bought screwdrivers, duct tape, zip ties and a laser sight, which the informant taped onto a semi-automatic handgun.

From Los Angeles Times

Roske pleaded guilty in April, nearly three years after being arrested outside Kavanaugh’s house with a pistol, zip ties, duct tape, pepper spray, crowbar and hammer, along with other burglary tools, according to court records.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Every time he laid down it would irritate the skin and cause it to bleed. I was putting duct tape to fix it.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• conduit
• tube