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REFERENCE

pipe

n. · v.
US //ˈpaɪp// UK //pˈaɪp// pipe
  1. 1 a tube for liquid or gas (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a long, hollow tube used to carry water, gas, or oil from one place to another.

    a hollow cylinder or conduit used to convey fluids, gases, or finely divided solids.

    Example

    The plumber had to fix a leaking pipe under the kitchen sink.

    Example

    Corrosion in the main water pipe led to a significant drop in pressure across the entire residential district.
  2. 2 for smoking tobacco (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a tool with a small bowl and a tube used for smoking tobacco.

    a device for smoking tobacco, typically consisting of a bowl for the tobacco and a hollow stem through which smoke is drawn.

    Example

    The old man sat on the porch smoking his pipe and watching the sunset.

    Example

    He meticulously cleaned his briar pipe after every use to ensure the tobacco flavour remained untainted by ash.

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  1. 3 musical instrument (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Music

    a simple musical instrument shaped like a tube that you blow into.

    a hollow wind instrument, such as a flute or the tubes of an organ, that produces sound when air is blown through it.

    Example

    The shepherd played a simple tune on a wooden pipe.

    Example

    The cathedral's organ features over three thousand pipes, ranging from tiny metal tubes to massive wooden structures.
  2. 4 computing symbol (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    the vertical line symbol (|) on a keyboard used to connect computer programs.

    the vertical bar character (|) used in command-line interfaces to redirect the output of one process to the input of another.

    Example

    You can use a pipe to send the list of files to a search tool.

    Example

    The developer used a pipe to chain several commands together, efficiently filtering the log files for specific error codes.
    • vertical bar
  3. 5 to transport through tubes (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to move a liquid or gas through a system of tubes.

    to convey or transmit a fluid or gas through a system of conduits.

    Example

    Natural gas is piped into the city from the offshore platforms.

    Example

    The facility is designed to pipe recycled water directly to the cooling towers to reduce environmental impact.
  4. 6 to decorate food (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    to use a small bag to squeeze icing or cream onto food in a decorative way.

    to apply a decorative line or pattern of icing, cream, or paste to food using a pastry bag.

    Example

    She carefully piped the words 'Happy Birthday' onto the cake.

    Example

    The pastry chef piped delicate rosettes of chocolate ganache around the edge of the tart.
Origin

From Middle English pīpe, pype (“hollow cylinder or tube used as a conduit or container; duct or vessel of the body; musical instrument; financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, pipe roll”), from Old English pīpe (“pipe (musical instrument); the channel of a small stream”), from Proto-West Germanic pīpā. Reinforced by Vulgar Latin pīpa, from Latin pipire, pipiare, pipare, from pīpiō (“to chirp, peep”), of imitative origin. Doublet of fife. The “storage container” and “liquid measure” senses are derived from Middle English pīpe (“large storage receptacle, particularly for wine; cask, vat; measure of volume”), from pīpe (above) and Old French pipe (“liquid measure”). In specific contexts, calques similar units of measure such as Portuguese pipa. The verb is from Middle English pīpen, pypyn (“to play a pipe; to make a shrill sound; to speak with a high-pitched tone”), from Old English pīpian (“to pipe”).

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