piping

[ pahy-ping ]

noun

1. pipes pipe collectively; a system or network of pipes. pipe.
2. material formed into a pipe or pipes. pipe.
3. the act of a person or thing that pipes. pipe.
4. the sound of pipes. pipe.
5. a shrill sound.
6. the music of pipes. pipe.
7. a cordlike ornamentation made of icing, used on pastry.
8. a tubular band of ornamental material, sometimes containing a cord, used for trimming the edges and seams of clothing, upholstery, etc.

adjective

1. characterized by the peaceful music of the pipe.
2. playing on a musical pipe.
3. that pipes. pipe.
4. emitting a shrill sound:

   a piping voice.

piping

/ ˈpaɪpɪŋ /

noun

1. pipes collectively, esp pipes formed into a connected system, as in the plumbing of a house
2. a cord of icing, whipped cream, etc, often used to decorate desserts and cakes
3. a thin strip of covered cord or material, used to edge hems, etc
4. the sound of a pipe or a set of bagpipes
5. the art or technique of playing a pipe or bagpipes
6. a shrill voice or sound, esp a whistling sound

adjective

1. making a shrill sound
2. archaic.
   relating to the pipe (associated with peace), as opposed to martial instruments, such as the fife or trumpet

adverb

1. piping hot
   extremely hot

Other Words From

• piping·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of piping¹

1200–50; Middle English (gerund); pipe ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. piping hot, (of food or drink) very hot.

Example Sentences

“If it seems like the cake is fine otherwise, you may want to try piping a very thin line of soft butter down the center of the cake. This allows it to stay moist there and it will leave you with an even central crack in your cake where all the expansion happened.”

From Salon

“This has felt like you’re in the Thunderdome, and people are just piping this noise in. They create this great confusion. It creates chaos and a crisis moment where you need people to be able to work together and come together.”

From Salon

To encourage more development in the Southwest, the Bureau of Reclamation once proposed piping water from the Pacific Northwest to the Mexican border, a distance of 1,000 miles.

From Slate

The Forest Service told bottled water company BlueTriton Brands to stop piping water out of a California national forest.

From Los Angeles Times

The revelations about Nestlé piping water from the forest sparked an outpouring of opposition and prompted several complaints to California regulators questioning the company’s water rights claims, which led to a lengthy investigation by state water regulators.

From Los Angeles Times