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8 dictionary results for: valve
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
valve
[valv] Pronunciation Key, noun, verb, valved, valv·ing.
—Related forms
[valv] Pronunciation Key, noun, verb, valved, valv·ing. –noun
–verb (used with object)
| 1. | any device for halting or controlling the flow of a liquid, gas, or other material through a passage, pipe, inlet, outlet, etc. |
| 2. | a hinged lid or other movable part that closes or modifies the passage in such a device. |
| 3. | Anatomy. a membranous fold or other structure that controls the flow of a fluid, as one that permits blood to flow in one direction only. |
| 4. | (in musical wind instruments of the trumpet class) a device for changing the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone. |
| 5. | Zoology.
|
| 6. | Botany.
|
| 7. | Electronics (chiefly British ). vacuum tube (def. 1). |
| 8. | Archaic. one of the leaves of a double or folding door. |
| 9. | to provide with a means of controlling the flow of liquid, gas, etc., by inserting a valve. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L valvae leaves of a door
]
] —Related forms
valveless, adjective
valvelike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
valve
(vālv) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) n.
tr.v. valved, valv·ing, valves
[Middle English, leaf of a door, from Latin valva; see wel-2 in Indo-European roots.] valve'less adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
valve
valve
1387, "one of the halves of a folding door," from L. valva "section of a folding or revolving door," lit. "that which turns," related to volvere "to roll" (see vulva). Sense extended 1615 to "membranous fold regulating flow of bodily fluids;" 1659 to "mechanical device that works like a valve;" and 1661 in zoology to "halves of a hinged shell."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| valve | |
noun | |
| 1. | a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it |
| 2. | device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone |
| 3. | control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid |
| 4. | the entire one-piece shell of a snail and certain other molluscs |
| 5. | one of the paired hinged shells of certain molluscs and of brachiopods |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
valve
(vālv) Pronunciation Key
|
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
valve (vālv)
n.
- A membranous structure in a hollow organ or passage, as in an artery or a vein, that folds or closes to prevent the return flow of the body fluid passing through it.
- Any of various devices that regulate the flow of gases, liquids, or loose materials through piping or through apertures by opening, closing, or obstructing ports or passageways.
- The movable control element of such a device.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This
valve electronics
UK term for a vacuum tube.
(1996-01-10)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Valve
Valve\, n. [L. valva the leaf, fold, or valve of a door: cf. F. valve.]1. A door; especially, one of a pair of folding doors, or one of the leaves of such a door. Swift through the valves the visionary fair Repassed. --Pope. Heavily closed, . . . the valves of the barn doors. --Longfellow. 2. A lid, plug, or cover, applied to an aperture so that by its movement, as by swinging, lifting and falling, sliding, turning, or the like, it will open or close the aperture to permit or prevent passage, as of a fluid. Note: A valve may act automatically so as to be opened by the effort of a fluid to pass in one direction, and closed by the effort to pass in the other direction, as a clack valve; or it may be opened or closed by hand or by mechanism, as a screw valve, or a slide valve. 3. (Anat.) One or more membranous partitions, flaps, or folds, which permit the passage of the contents of a vessel or cavity in one direction, but stop or retard the flow in the opposite direction; as, the ileocolic, mitral, and semilunar valves. 4. (Bot.) (a) One of the pieces into which a capsule naturally separates when it bursts. (b) One of the two similar portions of the shell of a diatom. (c) A small portion of certain anthers, which opens like a trapdoor to allow the pollen to escape, as in the barberry. 5. (Zo["o]l.) One of the pieces or divisions of bivalve or multivalve shells. Air valve, Ball valve, Check valve, etc. See under Air. Ball, Check, etc. Double-beat valve, a kind of balance valve usually consisting of a movable, open-ended, turban-shaped shell provided with two faces of nearly equal diameters, one above another, which rest upon two corresponding seats when the valve is closed. Equilibrium valve. (a) A balance valve. See under Balance. (b) A valve for permitting air, steam, water, etc., to pass into or out of a chamber so as to establish or maintain equal pressure within and without. Valve chest (Mach.), a chamber in which a valve works; especially (Steam Engine), the steam chest; -- called in England valve box, and valve casing. See Steam chest, under Steam. Valve face (Mach.), that part of the surface of a valve which comes in contact with the valve seat. Valve gear, or Valve motion (Steam Engine), the system of parts by which motion is given to the valve or valves for the distribution of steam in the cylinder. For an illustration of one form of valve gear, see Link motion. Valve seat. (Mach.) (a) The fixed surface on which a valve rests or against which it presses. (b) A part or piece on which such a surface is formed. Valve stem (Mach.), a rod attached to a valve, for moving it. Valve yoke (Mach.), a strap embracing a slide valve and connecting it to the valve stem.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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