VALVE
What does "VALVE" mean?
A device that controls the flow of a fluid or gas through a pipe by opening, closing, or partly obstructing the passage.
Meanings
- A mechanical device regulating the passage of a liquid or gas in one direction or at a controlled rate. He tightened the valve to stop the water leak.
- A membranous fold in the heart or a vein that allows blood to flow in one direction only. Surgeons replaced the faulty heart valve. technical
- Each of the two halves of the hinged shell of a mollusc such as a clam. The clam clamped both valves shut. technical
- A device on a brass instrument that alters the length of the tube to change pitch. He pressed the second valve to drop a half step. technical
Did you know?
- The familiar 'lub-dub' of a heartbeat is the sound of valves slamming shut: the heart has four of them, and their closing - not the muscle's squeeze - is what a stethoscope mostly hears.
Word origin
From Latin 'valva' meaning 'leaf or fold of a door'; the mechanical sense arose because early valves swung shut like a hinged door-leaf.
Remember it
VALVE comes from Latin 'valva', a door-leaf - picture a tiny saloon door swinging open and shut to let the flow through.
A little poem
Small swinging door-leaf,
it lets the river pass once,
then bars the way back.
haiku
Wordplay
- My cardiologist told me to open up, so I explained my whole life. Turns out he meant the valve.
What it teaches
A good valve and a good boundary share one rule: let the right things through in only one direction.
Quick facts
What does VALVE mean?
A device that controls the flow of a fluid or gas through a pipe by opening, closing, or partly obstructing the passage.
Is VALVE a valid word?
Yes — VALVE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is VALVE?
VALVE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does VALVE come from?
From Latin 'valva' meaning 'leaf or fold of a door'; the mechanical sense arose because early valves swung shut like a hinged door-leaf.
What can VALVE teach us?
A good valve and a good boundary share one rule: let the right things through in only one direction.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.