channel

channel1 (ˈtʃænəl)
—n
1.	a broad strait connecting two areas of sea
2.	the bed or course of a river, stream, or canal
3.	a navigable course through a body of water
4.	(often plural) a means or agency of access, communication, etc: to go through official channels
5.	a course into which something can be directed or moved: a new channel of thought
6.	electronics
	a.  a band of radio frequencies assigned for a particular purpose, esp the broadcasting of a television signal
	b.  a path for an electromagnetic signal: a stereo set has two channels
	c.  a thin semiconductor layer between the source and drain of a field-effect transistor, the conductance of which is controlled by the gate voltage
7.	a tubular or trough-shaped passage for fluids
8.	a groove or flute, as in the shaft of a column
9.	computing
	a.  a path along which data can be transmitted between a central processing unit and one or more peripheral devices
	b.  one of the lines along the length of a paper tape on which information can be stored in the form of punched holes
10.	short for channel iron
—vb , -nels, -nelling, -nelled, -nels, -neling, -neled
11.	to provide or be provided with a channel or channels; make or cut channels in (something)
12.	(tr) to guide into or convey through a channel or channels: information was channelled through to them
13.	to serve as a medium through whom the spirit of (a person of a former age) allegedly communicates with the living
14.	(tr) to exhibit the traits of (another person) in one’s actions
15.	(tr) to form a groove or flute in (a column, etc)
[C13: from Old French chanel, from Latin canālis pipe, groove, conduit; see canal]
'channeller1
—n

channel

channel   (chān'əl)  Pronunciation Key  A specified frequency band for the transmission and reception of electromagnetic signals, as for television signals. The part of a field effect transistor, usually U-shaped, through which current flows from the source to the drain. See more at field effect transistor. A pathway through a protein molecule in a cell membrane that modulates the electrical potential across the membrane by controlling the passage of small inorganic ions into and out of the cell. The bed or deepest part of a river or harbor. A large strait, especially one that connects two seas.

channel definition

chat
(Or "chat room", "room", depending on the system in question) The basic unit of group discussion in chat systems like IRC. Once one joins a channel, everything one types is read by others on that channel. Channels can either be named with numbers or with strings that begin with a "#" sign and can have topic descriptions (which are generally irrelevant to the actual subject of discussion).
Some notable channels are "#initgame", "#hottub" and "#report". At times of international crisis, "#report" has hundreds of members, some of whom take turns listening to various news services and typing in summaries of the news, or in some cases, giving first-hand accounts of the action (e.g. Scud missile attacks in Tel Aviv during the Gulf War in 1991).
[Jargon File]
(1998-01-25)

Channel definition

(1.) The bed of the sea or of a river (Ps. 18:15; Isa. 8:7). (2.) The "chanelbone" (Job 31:22 marg.), properly "tube" or "shaft," an old term for the collar-bone.

channel

In addition to the idiom beginning with channel, also see go through channels.