canal

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noun ca·nal \kə-ˈnal\

Definition of canal

1 : a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct
2 : channel, watercourse
3 : an artificial waterway for navigation or for draining or irrigating land
4 : any of various faint narrow lines on the planet Mars seen through telescopes and once thought by some to be canals built by Martians

See canal defined for English-language learners

See canal defined for kids

Examples of canal in a Sentence

the Panama Canal opened a much easier and shorter passageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Origin and Etymology of canal

Middle English, from Latin canalis pipe, channel, from canna reed — more at cane

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

canal

verb ca·nal

Definition of canal

canalled

canaled

;

canalling

canaling

transitive verb
: to construct a canal through or across

First Known Use of canal

1793

Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure, sluice

CANAL Defined for English Language Learners

canal

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noun

Definition of canal for English Language Learners

: a long narrow place that is filled with water and was created by people so that boats could pass through it or to supply fields, crops, etc., with water
medical : a tube or passageway in the body

CANAL Defined for Kids

canal

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noun ca·nal \kə-ˈnal\

Definition of canal for Students

1 : an artificial waterway for boats or for irrigation of land
2 : a tubelike passage in the body The ear canal leads from the opening of the ear to the eardrum.

Headscratcher for canal

Canal is part of a famous saying from around the time the Panama Canal was built. The saying is spelled the same forward and backwards. It goes: A man! A plan! A canal! Panama!