canal
/kə'næl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- An artificial waterway constructed to allow the passage of boats or ships or to convey water for irrigation: A long, narrow, man-made channel of water.
- (Anatomy/Zoology) A tubular passage or duct in the body of a plant or animal: A tube or channel conveying fluids, secretions, or other substances.
- (Astronomy) A historical term for a perceived surface feature on Mars: Once thought to be a network of artificial channels, now understood to be an optical illusion.
Verb (rare):
- To provide an area, especially a city, with a canal or canals: To construct or convert an area into a canal system.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Artificial Waterway):
- The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- Farmers use irrigation canals to water their crops.
- Noun (Anatomical Duct):
- The alimentary canal is the pathway food takes through the body.
- A blocked ear canal can cause hearing problems.
- Verb:
- The engineers planned to canal the marshy region to improve drainage.
Advanced Usage
- "Canalize" (verb, often used instead of the verb 'canal'): To convert into or furnish with a canal; to channel or direct.
- The project aimed to canalize the river to prevent flooding.
Variants and Related Words
- Canalization (noun): The process of constructing canals or the state of being canalized.
- The canalization of the river basin transformed the region's agriculture.
- Canal boat (noun): A long, narrow boat designed for use on canals.
- Canal lock (noun): A device used for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on a canal.
Synonyms
- Channel: A length of water wider than a strait, joining two larger areas of water, or a navigable passage. (e.g., ).
- Waterway: A river, canal, or other route for travel by water.
- Duct: A tube or passageway in the body or in a machine for carrying fluids.
- Conduit: A channel for conveying water or other fluid, or a tube protecting electric wiring.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
(The word 'canal' itself does not commonly form phrasal verbs. The related verb 'canalize' is used with prepositions like 'into'.) - To canalize something into something: To direct or channel something toward a particular purpose. - She canalized her energy into her studies.
Related Idioms
(There are no common idioms that center on the word 'canal'.)
Noun
- long and narrow strip of water made for boats or for irrigation
- a bodily passage or tube lined with epithelial cells and conveying a secretion or other substance
- the tear duct was obstructed
- the alimentary canal
- poison is released through a channel in the snake's fangs
- (astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion
Verb
- provide (a city) with a canal