aqueduct

noun aq·ue·duct \ ˈa-kwə-ˌdəkt \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of aqueduct

1 a : 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

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Examples of aqueduct in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of aqueduct from the Web

Yes, that’s a Spanish aqueduct on top of the Manhattan Bridge.

— emily eisen, Bon Appetit, "11 Natural Wines That Taste as Good as They Look," 26 Mar. 2018
With even lower temperatures forecast, the aqueduct had a crane and wrecking ball standing by to break up large chunks that could overwhelm the intake.

— steve hendrix, Washington Post, "‘Not built for this’: What fails in the extreme cold? Just about everything.," 4 Jan. 2018
An ancient cemetery and an aqueduct had been found and bracketed out of the 1500-acre area, but the authority delayed construction on the prospect that more findings could be there.

— nektaria stamouli, WSJ, "In Greece, the Authority Investors Fear Most: Its Archaeologists," 8 Mar. 2018
Trump would sell off a wide range of public assets to raise money: Radio frequencies below 6 gigahertz ($6.6 billion), the Washington, D.C. aqueduct ($120 million) and electric power systems in the Tennessee Valley and western states ($9.4 billion).

— gregory korte, USA TODAY, "What's in Trump's 2019 budget proposal? Funding for wall, infrastructure and fighting opioid abuse," 12 Feb. 2018
The wooden aqueduct was 4 feet high and 6 feet wide in most places, and required 315 trestles to bridge the valleys and canyons along its 35-mile length.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "Here comes the flume," 22 Feb. 2018
Down the great aqueduct, by freight of politics and gravity, came the excess waters of the Sacramento River.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Couple Who Turned a California Desert Into a Multi-Billion Dollar Snack Empire," 6 Feb. 2018
At one of the sites last December, Ms. Morretta came across tracts of one of Rome’s oldest aqueducts, which is now being studied.

— elisabetta povoledo, New York Times, "Unearthed in Rome’s New Subway: Extinct Elephants and Persian Peach Pits," 18 Dec. 2017
As dawn gives way to daylight the train slips under a 19th-century aqueduct on millstone pillars, built in the place of a Roman predecessor, and enters the suburbs proper.

— The Economist, "Take the B trainA day crossing Paris by train," 16 Dec. 2017

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.

Did You Know?

Based party on the Latin ducere, meaning "lead" or "conduct", the word aqueduct named an ancient civil-engineering marvel. You may have seen photos of the great arches of ancient aqueducts spanning valleys in countries throughout the old Roman Empire, practical pipelines that are also regarded as works of timeless beauty. From the 20th century, the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct, the 336-mile Central Arizona Project, and the 444-mile California Aqueduct are considered wonders of American engineering, but they are not renowned for their beauty. Most aqueducts today either are riverlike channels or run underground, perhaps appearing simply as a long mound.

Origin and Etymology of aqueduct

Latin aquaeductus, from aquae (genitive of aqua) + ductus act of leading — more at duct

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1538

See Words from the same year

aqueduct Synonyms

Synonyms

canal, channel, conduit, course, flume, racecourse, raceway, watercourse, waterway;

Related Words

millrace, millstream;

floodway, sluice, sluiceway, spillway;

swash, tideway, torrent;

gutter, trough;

river, rivulet, stream;

Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure, sluice

AQUEDUCT Defined for English Language Learners

aqueduct

noun

Definition of aqueduct for English Language Learners

: a structure that looks like a bridge and that is used to carry water over a valley; also : a pipe or channel that is used to bring water to an area