flue

1
[ floo ]
/ flu /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR flue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a passage or duct for smoke in a chimney.
any duct or passage for air, gas, or the like.
a tube, especially a large one, in a fire-tube boiler.
Music.
  1. flue pipe.
  2. Also called windway. a narrow slit in the upper end of an organ pipe through which the air current is directed.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Origin of flue

1
1555–65; earlier flew, perhaps representing Old English flēwsa a flowing, the form flews being taken as plural

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH flue

flew flu flue

Words nearby flue

fluctuant, fluctuate, fluctuation, flucytosine, fludrocortisone acetate, flue, flue gas, flue pipe, flue stop, flue-cure, fluellen

Definition for flue (2 of 3)

flue2
[ floo ]
/ flu /

noun

downy matter; fluff.

Origin of flue

2
1580–90; perhaps to be identified with Old English flug- (in flugol swift, fleeting); akin to fly1. Compare Low German flug

Definition for flue (3 of 3)

flue3

or flew

[ floo ]
/ flu /

noun

a fishing net.

Origin of flue

3
1350–1400; Middle English flowe; compare Middle Dutch vluwe fishing net
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to flue

duct, chimney, vent, tube, channel, passage

Example sentences from the Web for flue

British Dictionary definitions for flue (1 of 4)

flue1
/ (fluː) /

noun

a shaft, tube, or pipe, esp as used in a chimney, to carry off smoke, gas, etc
music the passage in an organ pipe or flute within which a vibrating air column is set upSee also flue pipe

Word Origin for flue

C16: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for flue (2 of 4)

flue2
/ (fluː) /

noun

loose fluffy matter; down

Word Origin for flue

C16: from Flemish vluwe, from Old French velu shaggy

British Dictionary definitions for flue (3 of 4)

flue3

flew

/ (fluː) /

noun

a type of fishing net

Word Origin for flue

Middle English, from Middle Dutch vlūwe

British Dictionary definitions for flue (4 of 4)

flue4
/ (fluː) /

noun

another word for fluke 1 (def. 1), fluke 1

Derived forms of flue

flued, adjective
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