I. noun
also sy·phon ˈsīfən sometimes -ˌfän
( -s )
Etymology: French siphon, from Latin sipho, siphon tube, pipe, siphon, from Greek siphōn; probably akin to Latin tibia shinbone
1.
a. : a tube bent to form two branches of unequal effective length by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level over an intermediate elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the tube immersed in it while the excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch when once filled causes a continuous flow that takes place only when the discharging extremity is lower than the liquid surface and when no part of the tube is higher above that surface than the same liquid will rise by atmospheric pressure
b. : a channel through which water passes as if in a siphon
c. : inverted siphon
d. usually syphon : a bottle for holding aerated water that is driven out through a bent tube in its neck by the pressure of the gas when a valve in the tube is opened
a soda water syphon
e. : any of several small reservoirs placed at certain points in a gas main to drain off condensed water
2.
a. : either of a pair of posteriorly extending tubes in many bivalve mollusks formed by the coalescence and extension of the edges of the mantle lobes of each side of the body and commonly more or less united externally though their passages are separate:
(1) : a ventral tube that conducts water to the mouth and gills
(2) : a dorsal tube that carries away waste water — see clam illustration
b. : an anterior channel-shaped prolongation of the mantle in many gastropods serving to conduct water to the gills and often being protected by a grooved extension of the margin of the shell — see snail illustration
c. : the swimming funnel of a cephalopod
d. : the membranous siphuncle of a shelled cephalopod
e. : the sucking proboscis of various arthropods
f. : the cornicle of an aphid
g. : a tubular anal respiratory organ in a bug of the family Nepidae consisting of two grooved filaments
h. : the branchial or atrial orifice in an ascidian especially when borne on a more or less produced tube
[s]siphon.jpg[/s] [
siphon 1a
]
II. verb
also syphon “
( siphoned ; siphoned ; siphoning -f(ə)niŋ, -ˌfän- ; siphons )
transitive verb
1. : to convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon
siphon gasoline from a tank
a dredge siphoning up bay bottom — George Bourke
2. : to divert for a special purpose : withdraw
an expressway to siphon motor traffic from the crowded downtown area — J.H.Fenton
irresponsible siphoning of skilled farm labor by the Selective Service — Louis Bromfield
— often used with off
the federal government is siphoning off their wealth to support itself — D.L.Hamilton
heavy taxes siphon off the huge profits — New York Times
intransitive verb
: to pass or become conveyed by or as if by a siphon
a fine spray of gasoline was still siphoning from three of the holes — E.K.Gann