siphon
pronunciation
How to pronounce siphon in British English:
UK ['saɪfn]
How to pronounce siphon in American English:
US [ˈsaɪfən]
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- 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
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- Verb:
- 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
Word Origin
- siphon (n.)
- late 14c., from Latin sipho (genitive siphonis) "a siphon," from Greek siphon "pipe, tube for drawing wine from a cask," of unknown origin. Related: Siphonal.
- siphon (v.)
- 1859, from siphon (n.). Figurative sense of "to draw off, divert" is recorded from 1940. Related: Siphoned; siphoning.
Example
- 1. The quick fix : if you live on a slope , try making a siphon .
- 2. A giant clam 's siphon is used to draw in water to filter and consume passing plankton .
- 3. It can siphon inflationary cash out of the system by requiring the commercial banks to lodge deposits at the bank - quantitative tightening .
- 4. What the scheme is not is a giant leap towards a common economic government , with the power to siphon huge sums from rich to poor bits of the union .
- 5. A large sea tanker is also being prepared to siphon and ship the water from the plant after it was discovered that run-off containers and drainage tanks were almost full at three of the most critical reactors .