Conduit

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒnd(j)ʊɪt/

Definitions

1. A channel, pipe, or tube through which liquids, gases, electrical wires, or other materials are conveyed from one place to another
2. A passage or channel used for the transfer of liquids, gases, or electrical wiring between locations
3. A means or route through which various substances like fluids, gases, or electrical wiring are directed or transported from one point to another

Etymology: The English "conduit" arrived through Middle English as "conduyt" or "condit," borrowed from Old French "conduit," and it is a close relative of "conduct." Both trace back to the Latin "conductus," the past participle of "conducere," meaning "to lead together" or "to bring together." Over the centuries the two words split apart: "conduct" kept the sense of guiding or behaving, while "conduit" narrowed to a channel that guides something physical. Because they are doublets, the two words share a single ancestor yet look and sound different in English. A conduit is, in effect, a conduct that has been turned into a pipe: the Latin idea of leading or bringing something along survives in the plumbing of water supplies, gas lines, and electrical wiring. The same root also gave English "conduction," the transmission of heat or electricity through a material.

Synonyms: channel, pipe, duct

Antonyms: blockage, obstruction