aqueduct

noun

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aq·ue·duct | \ ˈa-kwə-ˌdəkt

Definition of aqueduct

1a : a conduit for water especially : one for carrying a large quantity of flowing water

b : a structure for conveying a canal over a river or hollow

2 : a canal or passage in a part or organ

Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about aqueduct

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Did You Know?

Based partly on the Latin ducere, meaning "lead" or "conduct," the word aqueduct named an ancient civil-engineering marvel. Ancient Rome's aqueduct system, an extraordinary feat of engineering, brought water to the city from as far as 57 miles (92 kilometers) away. Only a portion of the Roman aqueducts utilized the familiar stone arch; most were underground conduits made of stone or terra-cotta pipe. Modern aqueduct systems now often use reinforced concrete for large water mains, and ductile iron, a stronger and more elastic type of cast iron, for smaller underground pipes.

Examples of aqueduct in a Sentence

marveled at the ancient Roman aqueducts that still carry water to distant villages

Recent Examples on the Web Tourists are drawn to the countryside to see a landmark of monumental beauty: the Pont du Gard, a 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct that rises above the valley like a dusty jewel. — Liz Alderman, New York Times, "Are Amazon Jobs Worth 1,400 Loads of Traffic? French Region Is Split," 11 Oct. 2020 These days the aqueduct marks the entrance to a park, where the Château de Marly once stood. — National Geographic, "The mechanical wonder that powered Versailles’s fountains," 20 Aug. 2020 The aqueduct still stands, along with a pair of reservoirs behind it. — National Geographic, "The mechanical wonder that powered Versailles’s fountains," 20 Aug. 2020 Based on an ancient Roman design, the aqueduct was an enormous brick-and-stone structure spanning 36 arches and reaching a height of 65 feet, about 530 feet above the level of the Seine. — National Geographic, "The mechanical wonder that powered Versailles’s fountains," 20 Aug. 2020 At the turn of the century, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) began building a controversial aqueduct that carries water from the valley more than 200 miles south to the now giant metropolis. — Libby Leonard, National Geographic, "This California landscape has a Confederate name—why?," 10 Aug. 2020 This latest analysis revealed a large rectangular structure connected to a network of water pipes, leading to the city's aqueduct. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "An ancient Roman city has been fully mapped using ground-penetrating radar," 14 June 2020 By the mid-1850s, New York City had constructed a 40-mile aqueduct system and banished 20,000 pigs from the city. — Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic, "The Coronavirus Is Already Reshaping Urban Life," 9 June 2020 The images even showed a network of water pipes ran beneath the city's blocks and streets, connected to a large rectangular building and led to an aqueduct. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Archaeologists discovered 'elaborate' details of a complete ancient Roman city without digging," 8 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aqueduct.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.