conduit

[ kon-dwit, -doo-it, -dyoo-it, -dit ]

noun

1. a pipe, tube, or the like, for conveying water or other fluid.

   Synonyms: channel, main, duct

2. a similar natural passage.
3. any means of transmission or conveyance, as of information:

   According to rumor, he served as a conduit for Israeli intelligence.

4. Electricity. a structure containing one or more ducts.
5. Archaic. a fountain.

conduit

/ ˈkɒndɪt; -djʊɪt /

noun

1. a pipe or channel for carrying a fluid
2. a rigid tube or duct for carrying and protecting electrical wires or cables
3. an agency or means of access, communication, etc
4. botany a water-transporting element in a plant; a xylem vessel or a tracheid
5. a rare word for fountain

Word History and Origins

Origin of conduit¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English conduit, condut, condewit, condit, from Old French conduit, from Medieval Latin conductus “pipe channel”; conduce, duct

Word History and Origins

Origin of conduit¹

C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin conductus channel, aqueduct, from Latin condūcere to lead, conduce

Example Sentences

“I understand it to be a buoyant nature when you are possessed. You do succumb to being a conduit for the communication of ancestral knowledge and information.”

From Los Angeles Times

Chad has also become a key conduit for arms flowing into Sudan, and is hosting large numbers of refugees from the country's civil war in camps near its eastern border.

From BBC

In his world, fast-food is a conduit to and a symbol of connection with the “everyday American.”

From Salon

Describing himself as a "cultural bridge between two different worlds", Sriram says being that conduit is what he has "always wanted to do."

From BBC

Chad has become a key conduit for arms flowing into Sudan.

From BBC

Related Words

• duct
• pipe
• pipeline