syphon

[sahy-fuh n] /ˈsaɪ fən/
noun, verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
1.
Examples from the web for syphon
  • Yet the state manages to syphon those off too, by heavily taxing consumption.
  • The also conspire to channel, syphon and launder millions of dollars worth of grant money from the government.
  • Install syphon instead of snubber for steam pressure gauges.
  • syphon all liquid from the trap and drain using a soft rubber or plastic hose.
  • There are two basic types of conventional spray guns: syphon-feed and gravity feed.
British Dictionary definitions for syphon

siphon

/ˈsaɪfən/
noun
1.
a tube placed with one end at a certain level in a vessel of liquid and the other end outside the vessel below this level, so that liquid pressure forces the liquid through the tube and out of the vessel by gravity
2.
3.
(zoology) any of various tubular organs in different aquatic animals, such as molluscs and elasmobranch fishes, through which a fluid, esp water, passes
verb
4.
(often foll by off) to pass or draw off through or as if through a siphon
Derived Forms
siphonage, noun
siphonal, siphonic (saɪˈfɒnɪk) adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin sīphō, from Greek siphōn siphon

syphon

/ˈsaɪfən/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of siphon
Encyclopedia Article for syphon

siphon

instrument, usually in the form of a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length, for conveying liquid over the edge of a vessel and delivering it at a lower level. Siphons may be of any size; they are used in civil engineering to transfer water or other fluids over elevations. The action depends upon the influence of gravity (not, as sometimes thought, on the difference in atmospheric pressure-a siphon will work in a vacuum) and upon the cohesive forces that prevent the columns of liquid in the legs of the siphon from breaking under their own weight. Water has been lifted more than 35 feet (11 m) by a siphon

Learn more about siphon with a free trial on Britannica.com