conduit

con·duit

noun \ˈkän-ˌdü-ət, -ˌdyü- also -dwət, -dət\

: a pipe or tube through which something (such as water or wire) passes

: someone or something that is used as a way of sending something (such as information or money) from one place or person to another

Full Definition of CONDUIT

1

:  a natural or artificial channel through which something (as a fluid) is conveyed

2

archaic :  fountain

3

:  a pipe, tube, or tile for protecting electric wires or cables

4

:  a means of transmitting or distributing <a conduit for illicit payments> <a conduit of information>

Examples of CONDUIT

1. <the major conduit for carrying water to the military base>
2. <water flowed along the conduit to the fountain>

Origin of CONDUIT

Middle English, from Anglo-French cunduit pipe, passage, conduct, in part from cunduit, past participle of cunduire to lead, from Latin conducere, in part from Medieval Latin conductus — more at conduct

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CONDUIT

Synonyms

channel, pipe, duct, leader, line, penstock, trough, tube

Related Words

drain, drainpipe, funnel, hydrant, main, smokestack, spout, standpipe, stovepipe, tile, waste pipe, waterspout; pipage (or pipeage), pipeline, piping

Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure, sluice

Rhymes with CONDUIT

intuit