siphon

siphon

si·phon / ˈsīfən/ (also sy·phon) • n. a pipe or tube used to convey liquid upward from a container and then down to a lower level by gravity, the liquid being made to enter the pipe by atmospheric pressure. ∎  Zool. a tubular organ in an aquatic animal, esp. a mollusk, through which water is drawn in or expelled. • v. [tr.] draw off or convey (liquid) by means of a siphon. ∎ fig. draw off or transfer over a period of time, esp. illegally or unfairly: he's been siphoning money off the firm. DERIVATIVES: si·phon·age / -nij/ n. si·phon·al / -nəl/ adj. ( Zool. ) si·phon·ic / sīˈfänik/ adj. ORIGIN: late Middle English: from French, or via Latin from Greek siphōn ‘pipe.’ The verb dates from the mid 19th cent.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"siphon." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"siphon." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-siphon.html

"siphon." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-siphon.html

Learn more about citation styles

siphon

siphon , tube through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere and is then emptied at a lower level. To start the siphon, it must first be filled with the liquid before it is placed into position. The elevation over which a siphon will lift a liquid is limited by the atmospheric pressure. At sea level, water may be lifted c.34 ft (10.4 m). The siphon must discharge at a level lower than that of the liquid at the intake.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"siphon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"siphon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-siphon.html

"siphon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-siphon.html

Learn more about citation styles

siphon

siphon In bivalve molluscs (Bivalvia) and gastropods (Gastropoda), a tube that connects the mollusc to the world outside, funnelling water towards and away from the gills. In bivalves siphons may occur in pairs.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "siphon." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "siphon." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-siphon.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "siphon." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-siphon.html

Learn more about citation styles

siphon

siphon, syphon bent tube for drawing off liquid by atmospheric pressure. XVII. — F. siphon or L. sīphō, -ōn- — Gr. sī́phōn pipe, tube.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "siphon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "siphon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-siphon.html

T. F. HOAD. "siphon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-siphon.html

Learn more about citation styles

siphon

siphon In Bivalvia and Gastropoda, a tube that funnels water towards and away from the gills. In bivalves siphons often occur in pairs.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "siphon." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "siphon." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-siphon.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "siphon." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-siphon.html

Learn more about citation styles

siphon

siphon •deafen •griffon, stiffen •antiphon •hyphen, siphon •often, soften •orphan • ibuprofen •roughen, toughen •colophon •dragon, flagon, lagan, pendragon, wagon •snapdragon • bandwagon • jargon •Megan •Copenhagen, pagan, Reagan •Nijmegen •Antiguan, Egan, Keegan, Regan, vegan •Wigan • cardigan • Milligan • polygon •hooligan • mulligan • ptarmigan •Branigan • Oregon • Michigan •Rattigan •tigon, trigon •toboggan •Glamorgan, gorgon, Morgan, morgen, organ •Brogan, hogan, Logan, slogan •Cadogan • decagon •Aragon, paragon, tarragon •hexagon • pentagon • heptagon •octagon • Bergen • Spitsbergen

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"siphon." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"siphon." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-siphon.html

"siphon." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-siphon.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Innervation of ascidian siphons and their responses to stimulation.(Report)
Magazine article from: Canadian Journal of Zoology; 8/1/2006
Crews work to complete 84-inch siphon: 110-feet below downtown Houston streets.
Magazine article from: Underground Construction; 4/1/2002
Regeneration time and morphology of the inhalant siphon of Donax denticulatus...
Magazine article from: Journal of Shellfish Research; 8/1/2004

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of siphon