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.
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siphon
