PIPE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pīpa (akin to Old High German pfīfa ~), from Vulgar Latin *pipa ~, from Latin pipare to peep, of imitative origin Date: before 12th century 1. a tubular wind instrument, one of the tubes of a ~ organ:, flue ~ , reed ~ , bag~ , d. voice , vocal cord, piping 1, 2. a long tube or hollow body for conducting a liquid, gas, or finely divided solid or for structural purposes, a means of transmission (as of television signals or computer data) , 3. a tubular or cylindrical object, part, or passage, a roughly cylindrical and vertical geological formation, the eruptive channel opening into the crater of a volcano, 4. a large cask of varying capacity used especially for wine and oil, any of various units of liquid capacity based on the size of a ~, a device for smoking usually consisting of a tube having a bowl at one end and a mouthpiece at the other, snap 2c, cinch , ~ful noun ~less adjective ~like adjective II. verb (~d; piping) Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to play on a ~, to convey orders by signals on a boatswain's ~, 2. to speak in a high or shrill voice, to emit a shrill sound, transitive verb 1. to play (a tune) on a ~, to utter in the shrill tone of a ~, 2. to lead or cause to go with ~ music, b. to call or direct by the boatswain's ~, to receive aboard or attend the departure of by sounding a boatswain's ~, to trim with piping, to furnish or equip with ~s, to convey by or as if by ~s, notice