siphon

Meanings

Noun

• A bent pipe or tube with one end lower than the other, in which hydrostatic pressure exerted due to the force of gravity moves liquid from one reservoir to another.
• A soda siphon.
• A tubelike organ found in animals or elongated cell found in plants.

Verb

• To transfer (liquid) by means of a siphon.
• To steal or skim off money in small amounts; to embezzle.

Origin

• From Middle French siphon, from Old French sifon, from Latin sipho, from Ancient Greek σίφων ("pipe, tube"), of uncertain origin; possibly related to Latin tibia ("pipe, flute of bone"), reflecting a hypothetical late Proto-Indo-European *twi-, *twibʰ- root, but the irregular forms suggest a non-Indo-European loan (i.e. ) source.