faucet

[ faw-sit ]

noun

1. any device for controlling the flow of liquid from a pipe or the like by opening or closing an orifice; tap; cock.

faucet

/ ˈfɔːsɪt /

noun

1. a tap fitted to a barrel
2. a valve by which a fluid flow from a pipe can be controlled by opening and closing an orifice Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)tap

Word History and Origins

Origin of faucet¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French fausset peg for a vent, perhaps equivalent to fauss ( er ) to force in, damage, warp, literally, to falsify (< Late Latin falsāre; false ) + -et -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of faucet¹

C14: from Old French fausset , from Provençal falset , from falsar to bore

Example Sentences

He has said the resource is “horribly mismanaged” in California and has promised to turn on a massive “faucet” for farmers and cities — partly by weakening environmental protections for such species as the Delta smelt.

From Los Angeles Times

They scraped through more debris, eventually finding a bathroom sink faucet.

From Los Angeles Times

When Cynthia Ruiz turns on her kitchen faucet, she hears a slight squeak before cloudy fluid bursts out of the spout.

From Salon

Elizabeth Birkenbuel, who lives above the site on Park Drive, was so distressed by volunteers lugging large containers of water on the slippery hill that she encouraged them to hook up hoses to her outdoor faucet so they could more easily fill their buckets.

From Los Angeles Times

Oceana’s Christy Leavitt, plastics campaign director, said that “recycling is like trying to mop water from an overflowing bathtub while the faucet is still running. We need to turn off the faucet and reduce the production of single-use plastics... If companies won’t reduce their production, then governments must ensure they do.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• nozzle
• valve