Conduits

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Channels or tubes designed for the transmission of liquids or electrical currents create pathways for various substances to flow or be directed effectively
2. Channels or tubes intended for transferring fluids or electrical energy serve as pathways that direct or manage different materials and energies
3. Tubular structures that carry liquids, gases, or electrical wiring over distances

Etymology: A conduit was once a guide before it became a pipe. The word descends from Latin "conducere," meaning "to lead together," which also gave English "conduct." Medieval Latin turned the past participle into "conductus," a channel or passage, and Old French carried it forward as "conduit," a means of leading something along a path. The sense of leading and the sense of pipe were never far apart. In English, a conduit was first a channel that guided water, such as a fountain structure or a canal that brought water into a town. Carrying a substance along a route is the same idea as escorting a person along one, applied to matter rather than people. The plural "conduits" is simply the regular form, now covering pipes, ducts, and the protective sheaths around electrical wires.

Synonyms: channels, pipes, tubes