siphon

views updated May 29 2018

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.

siphon

views updated May 08 2018

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.

siphon

views updated May 18 2018

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

siphon

views updated May 21 2018

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