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

Orte Mile 130 Why StopThis medieval hill town, with 16th-century towers and a Renaissance-era aqueduct, sees very few travelers. — Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, "6 Places You Absolutely Have to Stop on a Florence-to-Rome Road Trip," 12 Feb. 2018 Among the property’s other features is a Roman pool the size of a football field, with a Roman water garden and grotto of arches designed to recall an ancient Roman aqueduct. — Katherine Clarke, WSJ, "The Estate That Wants to Be Silicon Valley’s Priciest Home," 18 Oct. 2018 The Resort at Pelican Hill, located in the ultra-exclusive Newport Coast ZIP code, has a luxurious Tuscan vibe, well-manicured hills overlooking the Pacific, beautiful villas and bungalows, and Roman aqueduct-style architecture. — Archana Ram, Condé Nast Traveler, "3 Best Day Trips from San Diego," 5 Mar. 2018 In addition, a giant aqueduct passed through the valley on its way to Santa Barbara. — Russell Gold, WSJ, "Harvard Quietly Amasses California Vineyards—and the Water Underneath," 10 Dec. 2018 Crews had scrambled to break up the bergs Sunday after ice began to block the pipes and the reservoir level dropped, said Thomas Jacobus, the aqueduct’s general manager. — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, "‘Not built for this’: What fails in the extreme cold? Just about everything.," 4 Jan. 2018 The terrestrial waters of rivers and lakes, by contrast, were both controllable via aqueducts and dikes and predictable in their flooding or receding. — Andrew Stark, WSJ, "‘Living With the Gods’ Review: The Gang’s All Here," 16 Nov. 2018 This is the project in a clamshell: Two 35-mile, 40-foot-wide tunnels under the delta from the estuary’s northern end on the Sacramento River to aqueducts at the southern edge. — George Skelton, latimes.com, "What do Southern Californians really get out of Gov. Jerry Brown's twin tunnels project?," 12 July 2018 Engineers and politicians compare the network of 19 reservoirs, three lakes and connecting tunnels to the grand aqueducts of ancient Rome. — Washington Post, "Fixing a massive NYC plumbing leak, 55 stories underground," 20 June 2018

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.