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flue

1
[ floo ]
/ flu /
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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.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as


Origin of flue

1
First recorded in 1555–65; earlier flew; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old English flēwsa “a flowing, flux,” the form flews being taken as plural

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH flue

flew, flu, flue

Other definitions for flue (2 of 3)

flue2
[ floo ]
/ flu /

noun
downy matter; fluff.

Origin of flue

2
First recorded in 1580–90; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old English flug- (in flugol “swift, fleeting”); perhaps from Flemish Dutch vluwe, from French velu “hairy, downy”; see also velvet

Other definitions for flue (3 of 3)

flue3

or flew

[ floo ]
/ flu /

noun
a fishing net.

Origin of flue

3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English flue, flowe, flew, from Middle Dutch vl(o)uwe “fishing net”; akin to Old English flƍwan flow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use flue in a sentence

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 vlƫwe

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
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