/ paɪp; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] a tube through which liquids and gases can flow :
hot and cold water pipes
lead / plastic pipes
a leaking gas pipe
Copper pipe is sold in lengths.
a burst pipe
—see also drainpipe , exhaust , waste pipe , windpipe
2.
[ C ] a narrow tube with a bowl at one end, used for smoking tobacco :
to smoke a pipe
He puffed on his pipe.
pipe tobacco
3.
[ C ] a musical instrument in the shape of a tube, played by blowing
—see also pan pipes
4.
[ C ] any of the tubes from which sound is produced in an organ
5.
pipes [ pl. ] = bagpipes
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to send water, gas, oil, etc. through a pipe from one place to another :
to pipe oil across the desert
Water is piped from the reservoir to the city.
2.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to send sounds or signals through a wire or cable from one place to another :
The speech was piped over a public address system.
3.
to play music on a pipe or the bagpipes , especially to welcome sb who has arrived :
[ vn ]
Passengers were piped aboard ship at the start of the cruise.
[ v ]
a prize for piping and drumming
4.
to speak or sing in a high voice or with a high sound :
[ v ]
Outside a robin piped.
[also v speech ]
5.
[ vn ] to decorate food, especially a cake, with thin lines of icing , etc. by squeezing it out of a special bag or tube :
The cake had 'Happy Birthday' piped on it.
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- pipe down
- pipe up (with sth)
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English pīpe musical tube , pīpian play a pipe , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch pijp and German Pfeife , based on Latin pipare to peep, chirp, reinforced in Middle English by Old French piper to chirp, squeak.