First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1canal
noun ca·nal \kə-ˈnal\
: a long narrow place that is filled with water and was created by people so that boats could pass through it or to supply fields, crops, etc., with water
medical : a tube or passageway in the body
Full Definition of CANAL
1
: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct
2
3
: an artificial waterway for navigation or for draining or irrigating land
4
: any of various faint narrow lines on the planet Mars seen through telescopes and once thought by some to be canals built by Martians
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Origin of CANAL
Middle English, from Latin canalis pipe, channel, from canna reed — more at cane
Related to CANAL
- Synonyms
- aqueduct, channel, conduit, course, flume, racecourse, raceway, watercourse, waterway
Other Anatomy Terms
2canal
verb
canalled or canaledcanal·ling or canal·ing
Definition of CANAL
transitive verb
: to construct a canal through or across
First Known Use of CANAL
1793
Other Civil Engineering Terms
CANAL Defined for Kids
canal
noun ca·nal \kə-ˈnal\
Definition of CANAL for Kids
1
: an artificial waterway for boats or for irrigation of land
2
: a tubelike passage in the body <The ear canal leads from the opening of the ear to the eardrum.>
Headscratcher for CANAL
Canal is part of a famous saying from around the time the Panama Canal was built. The saying is spelled the same forward and backwards. It goes: A man! A plan! A canal! Panama!
Medical Dictionary
canal
noun ca·nal \kə-ˈnal\
Medical Definition of CANAL
: a tubular anatomical passage or channel : duct—see alimentary canal, haversian canal, inguinal canal
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