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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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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-cure, flue gas, fluellen, fluency, fluent

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 fly2. 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. 2021

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
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