valve

[valv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR valve ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any device for halting or controlling the flow of a liquid, gas, or other material through a passage, pipe, inlet, outlet, etc.

a hinged lid or other movable part that closes or modifies the passage in such a device.

Anatomy. a membranous fold or other structure that controls the flow of a fluid, as one that permits blood to flow in one direction only.

(in musical wind instruments of the trumpet class) a device for changing the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone.

Zoology.

one of the two or more separable pieces composing certain shells.
either half of the silicified shell of a diatom.

Botany.

one of the segments into which a capsule dehisces.
a flap or lidlike part of certain anthers.

Electronics (chiefly British ). vacuum tube(def 1).

Archaic. one of the leaves of a double or folding door.

verb (used with object), valved, valv·ing.

to provide with a means of controlling the flow of liquid, gas, etc., by inserting a valve.

Origin of valve

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin valvae leaves of a door

Related formsvalve·less, adjectivevalve·like, adjectiveun·der·valve, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for valve

pipe, faucet, spigot, lid, plug, stopper, tap, hydrant, gate, cock, flap, shutoff

Examples from the Web for valve

Contemporary Examples of valve

Such and such a time, such and such a day, then trouble with the valve.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
When he finally opened the valve, he says, the team was able to cool the core for the first time since the crisis began.
A Nuclear Meltdown Survivor Story
Tony Doukopil
March 17, 2011
People with valve problems develop heart murmurs and may eventually need valve replacement.
The Miracle of Dick Cheney
Kent Sepkowitz
July 15, 2010

Historical Examples of valve

The valve was shut by order of the aeronaut, and we descended rapidly.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
This was caused by the escaping gas going through the valve.
Harper's Young People, June 15, 1880
Various
At the proper intervals the valve is pulled down by the eccentric C.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond Francis Yates
He gave the valve a turn and the Allison smoothed considerably.
A Yankee Flier Over Berlin
Al Avery
Turn the valve so that it will close the hole in the same way.
Common Science
Carleton W. Washburne

British Dictionary definitions for valve

valve

noun

any device that shuts off, starts, regulates, or controls the flow of a fluid

anatomy a flaplike structure in a hollow organ, such as the heart, that controls the one-way passage of fluid through that organ

Also called: tube, vacuum tube an evacuated electron tube containing a cathode, anode, and, usually, one or more additional control electrodes. When a positive potential is applied to the anode, electrons emitted from the cathode are attracted to the anode, constituting a flow of current which can be controlled by a voltage applied to the grid to produce amplification, oscillation, etcSee also diode (def. 2), triode (def. 1), tetrode, pentode

zoology any of the separable pieces that make up the shell of a mollusc

music a device on some brass instruments by which the effective length of the tube may be varied to enable a chromatic scale to be produced

botany

any of the several parts that make up a dry dehiscent fruit, esp a capsule
either of the two halves of a diatom cell wall

archaic a leaf of a double door or of a folding door

Derived Formsvalveless, adjectivevalvelike, adjective

Word Origin for valve

C14: from Latin valva a folding door

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

Word Origin and History for valve

late 14c., "one of the halves of a folding door," from Latin valva "section of a folding or revolving door," literally "that which turns," related to volvere "to roll" (see volvox). Sense extended 1610s to "membranous fold regulating flow of bodily fluids;" 1650s to "mechanical device that works like a valve;" and 1660s in zoology to "halves of a hinged shell."

valve in Medicine

valve

[vălv]

n.

A membranous structure in a hollow organ or passage, as in an artery or vein, that folds or closes to prevent the return flow of the body fluid passing through it.

Any of various devices that regulate the flow of gases, liquids, or loose materials through piping or through apertures by opening, closing, or obstructing ports or passageways.

The movable control element of such a device.

valve in Science

valve

[vălv]

Any of various mechanical devices that control the flow of liquids, gases, or loose material through pipes or channels by blocking and uncovering openings.
The movable part or element of such a device.

Any of various structures that prevent the backward flow of a body fluid, such as blood or lymph. Valves in the heart, veins, and lymphatic vessels contain flaps (known as cusps) that close in response to pressure created by the backflow of fluid.

One of the paired hinged shells of certain mollusks, such as clams and oysters.

See electron tube.