Valve
WordNet
noun
(1) Control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid
(2) Device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone
(3) A structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a pipe.
- A device that admits fuel and air into the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, or one that allows combustion gases to exit.
- One or more membranous partitions, flaps, or folds, which permit the passage of the contents of a vessel or cavity in one direction, but stop or retard the flow in the opposite direction; as, the ileocolic, mitral, and semilunar valves.
- A vacuum tube.
- One of the pieces into which certain fruits naturally separate when they dehisce.
- A small portion of certain anthers, which opens like a trapdoor to allow the pollen to escape, as in the barberry.
- One of the pieces or divisions of bivalve or multivalve shells.
- One of the two similar portions of the shell of a diatom.