siphon
Plural: siphons
Noun
- a tube running from the liquid in a vessel to a lower level outside the vessel so that atmospheric pressure forces the liquid through the tube
- a tubular organ in an aquatic animal (especially in mollusks) through which water can be taken in or expelled
- A bent pipe or tube with one end lower than the other, in which hydrostatic pressure exerted due to the force of gravity moves liquid from one reservoir to another.
- A soda siphon.
- A tubelike organ found in animals or elongated cell found in plants.
Verb
Verb Forms: siphoned, siphoning, siphons
- To draw off or transfer liquid through a tube.
- convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon
- move a liquid from one container into another by means of a siphon or a siphoning action
- "siphon gas into the tank"
- To transfer (liquid) by means of a siphon.
- To transfer directly.
- To steal or skim off something, such as money, in small amounts; to embezzle.
Examples
- He managed to siphon points from an obscure word, leaving his opponent puzzled in Scrabble.
- He used a rubber tube to siphon petrol from the car's fuel tank.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle French siphon, from Old French sifon, from Latin sipho, from Ancient Greek σίφων (síphōn, “pipe, tube”), of uncertain origin; possibly related to Latin tibia (“pipe, flute of bone”), with the irregular forms suggesting a non-Indo-European loan source, perhaps of the shape *twi-, *twibh.
Synonyms
siphon off, syphon
Scrabble Score: 11
siphon: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordsiphon: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
siphon: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary