valve

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it
noun device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone
noun control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid

From Middle English valve, from Latin valva (“double door, valve”). Doublet of valva.

Don't look like valves, eh? — Cynthia's Chauffeur, Louis Tracy
What's so fascinating about one valve?" — On the Trail of the Space Pirates, Carey Rockwell
Steam rushed whistling into the gaping valves. — Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World, Jules Verne

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