Definition of AQUEDUCT

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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.

Examples of aqueduct in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The remains of the ancient aqueduct, theater, hippodrome, and bathhouses make for a daylong adventure. Snorkeling or scuba diving is available in the ancient harbor through the Old Caesarea Diving Center. — National Geographic, "See Jerusalem like a Nat Geo Explorer," 16 Apr. 2019 For a price, cities can divert Colorado River water intended for crops via aqueduct to kitchen taps in Santa Monica and La Jolla. — The Washington Post, The Denver Post, "Trading water for cash along the Colorado River," 20 Aug. 2019 Mulholland’s scheme to poach water from the north, and the 1913 completion of his aqueduct, proved vital to attracting investment. — BostonGlobe.com, "Location, location, location," 18 July 2019 Adjacent to the Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern’s hundreds of huge columns support a space that once contained some 17.5 million gallons of water, ferried away by aqueducts for use in the city above. — Meghan Miner Murray, National Geographic, "9 of Europe’s underground marvels," 2 Aug. 2019 The winemaker specializes in Spanish-style varietals, including an unfiltered Albariño and a Tempranillo-Grenache blend named Zanja Madre, after the city’s first aqueduct. — Hadley Tomicki, Los Angeles Times, "Graham Elliot is opening a new restaurant at a food hall in Santa Monica," 23 July 2019 The aqueduct ruins are near the Key Bridge and the Whitehurst Freeway, where Water Street dead-ends at the trailhead for the Capitol Crescent Trail. — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, "Two women die in separate water-related incidents at the Wharf and Georgetown," 25 July 2019 On July 24th cyclists sped past the medieval village of Faucon, having started at the Roman aqueduct of the Pont du Gard, before ending in the foothills of the Alps. — The Economist, "A French cyclist may win the Tour de France," 25 July 2019 In 1905, the middle class blossomed in Los Angeles thanks to the building of an aqueduct connecting developments to the Colorado River, and these new homeowners started planting palm trees too. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "How palm frond print went from the French Riviera to Target," 12 July 2019

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.