ca|nal

ca|nal¹ «kuh NAL», noun, verb, -nalled, -nal|ling or -naled, -nal|ing.

–n.

1. a) a waterway dug across land for ships or small boats to go through: »

More than 5,000 years ago the Chinese were controlling the Yellow River floods with dikes and the Chaldeans were building ziggurats and canals (New York Times).

SYNONYM(S): watercourse. b) a man-made ditch to carry water for irrigation. SYNONYM(S): watercourse.

2. a) a tube, duct, or the like, in the body of an animal or plant that carries liquid, air, or food or other solid matter from one part to another. The food that we eat goes through the alimentary canal. SYNONYM(S): passage. b) a tube whose chief function is to hold some liquid or gas, especially in the body: »

the semicircular canals.

SYNONYM(S): channel.

3. a long arm of a large body of water.

4. Obsolete. any channel of water; watercourse.

–v.t.

1. to dig or cut a canal through or across.

2. to furnish with canals.

╂[< Latin canālis trench, pipe < canna cane. See etym. of doublets channel (Cf. ↑channel), kennel². (Cf. ↑kennel)]

ca|nal² «kuh NAL», noun.

any one of the long, dark, narrow markings seen on the planet Mars, and now believed by some scientists to be cracks lined either with some type of plant life or with volcanic sand and dust.

╂[< Italian canali channels, as applied to markings on Mars < Latin canālis trench]