bile duct

American  

noun

Anatomy.

bile ducts plural

1. a large duct that transports bile from the liver to the duodenum, having in humans and many other vertebrates a side branch to a gallbladder for bile storage.

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bile duct Scientific  

1. Any of the passages that carry bile from the liver or gallbladder to the duodenum.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bile ducts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bile duct

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bile duct

No deaths linked to severe liver injury, including vanishing bile duct syndrome, have been reported among the 8,000 or so people who have been treated with avacopan in the U.S.,

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

How serious bile duct cancer is depends on where it is in the bile ducts, how big it is, if it has spread, and your general health.

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

CA19-9 levels can rise in non-cancerous conditions like pancreatitis or bile duct obstruction, and some people do not produce the marker at all due to genetic differences.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 23, 2026

“While recovering from the transplant, he contracted a bile duct infection, which led to hemodialysis to filter out the toxins in his body.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025

A paralysis of the bile duct produces a similar jaundice, but without pain.

From Zoonomia, Vol. II Or, the Laws of Organic Life by Darwin, Erasmus