Library / English Dictionary

CHANNEL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: channelled    , channelling   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A way of selling a company's product either directly or via distributors

Example:

possible distribution channels are wholesalers or small retailers or retail chains or direct mailers or your own stores

Synonyms:

channel; distribution channel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

marketing (the commercial processes involved in promoting and selling and distributing a product or service)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A passage for water (or other fluids) to flow through

Example:

gutters carried off the rainwater into a series of channels under the street

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

passage (a way through or along which someone or something may pass)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "channel"):

gutter; trough (a channel along the eaves or on the roof; collects and carries away rainwater)

limbers (a channel or gutter on either side of a ship's keelson; carries bilge water into the pump well)

Derivation:

channelize (cause to form a channel)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A television station and its programs

Example:

they offer more than one hundred channels

Synonyms:

channel; television channel; TV channel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

television station; TV station (station for the production and transmission of television broadcasts)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A bodily passage or tube lined with epithelial cells and conveying a secretion or other substance

Example:

poison is released through a channel in the snake's fangs

Synonyms:

canal; channel; duct; epithelial duct

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

passage; passageway (a path or channel or duct through or along which something may pass)

Meronyms (parts of "channel"):

ampulla (the dilated portion of a canal or duct especially of the semicircular canals of the ear)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "channel"):

lactiferous duct (ducts of the mammary gland that carry milk to the nipple)

alimentary canal; alimentary tract; digestive tract; digestive tube; gastrointestinal tract; GI tract (tubular passage of mucous membrane and muscle extending about 8.3 meters from mouth to anus; functions in digestion and elimination)

bronchiole (any of the smallest bronchial ducts; ending in alveoli)

cartilaginous tube (a duct with cartilaginous walls)

ejaculatory duct (a part of the seminal duct formed by the duct from the seminal vesicle and the vas deferens; passes through the prostate gland)

seminal duct (the efferent duct of the testis in man)

ductus deferens; vas deferens (a duct that carries spermatozoa from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct)

epididymis (a convoluted tubule in each testis; carries sperm to vas deferens)

vagina (the lower part of the female reproductive tract; a moist canal in female mammals extending from the labia minora to the uterus)

umbilical; umbilical cord (membranous duct connecting the fetus with the placenta)

canalis cervicis uteri; cervical canal (a spindle-shaped canal extending from the uterus to the vagina)

urethra (duct through which urine is discharged in most mammals and which serves as the male genital duct)

ureter (either of a pair of thick-walled tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder)

aqueductus cerebri; cerebral aqueduct; Sylvian aqueduct (a canal connecting the third and fourth ventricles)

pore (any small opening in the skin or outer surface of an animal)

canalis vertebralis; spinal canal; vertebral canal (the canal in successive vertebrae through which the spinal cord passes)

ductule; ductulus (a very small duct)

canaliculus (a small canal or duct as in some bones and parts of plants)

canal of Schlemm; Schlemm's canal; sinus venosus sclerae (a circular canal in the eye that drains aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the eye into the anterior ciliary veins)

sinus; venous sinus (a wide channel containing blood; does not have the coating of an ordinary blood vessel)

lachrymal duct; lacrimal duct; tear duct (any of several small ducts that carry tears from the lacrimal glands)

nasolacrimal duct (a duct that carries tears from the lacrimal sac to the nasal cavity)

Haversian canal (any of the many tiny canals that contain blood vessels and connective tissue and that form a network in bone)

hepatic duct (the duct that drains bile from the liver)

canalis inguinalis; inguinal canal (oblique passage through the lower abdominal wall; in males it is the passage through which the testes descend into the scrotum and it contains the spermatic cord; in females it transmits the round ligament of the uterus)

bile duct; common bile duct (a duct formed by the hepatic and cystic ducts; opens into the duodenum)

pancreatic duct (a duct connecting the pancreas with the intestine)

lymph vessel; lymphatic vessel (a vascular duct that carries lymph which is eventually added to the venous blood circulation)

salivary duct (a duct through which saliva passes from the salivary gland into the mouth)

Derivation:

channelize (send from one person or place to another)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A path over which electrical signals can pass

Example:

a channel is typically what you rent from a telephone company

Synonyms:

channel; transmission channel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

transmission (communication by means of transmitted signals)

Derivation:

channel (transmit or serve as the medium for transmission)

channelize (send from one person or place to another)

Sense 6

Meaning:

(often plural) a means of communication or access

Example:

lines of communication were set up between the two firms

Synonyms:

channel; communication channel; line

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

communicating; communication (the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information)

Domain usage:

plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "channel"):

line of gab; patter; spiel (plausible glib talk (especially useful to a salesperson))

contact; inter-group communication; liaison; link (a channel for communication between groups)

lens ((metaphor) a channel through which something can be seen or understood)

back channel (an alternative to the regular channels of communication that is used when agreements must be made secretly (especially in diplomacy or government))

Derivation:

channel (send from one person or place to another)

channel (direct the flow of)

channel (transmit or serve as the medium for transmission)

channelize (send from one person or place to another)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A deep and relatively narrow body of water (as in a river or a harbor or a strait linking two larger bodies) that allows the best passage for vessels

Example:

the ship went aground in the channel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

body of water; water (the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean))

Domain category:

river (a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "channel"):

watercourse (natural or artificial channel through which water flows)

tideway (a channel in which a tidal current runs)

sound; strait (a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water)

rill (a small channel (as one formed by soil erosion))

gut (a narrow channel or strait)

canal ((astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion)

Instance hyponyms:

Hampton Roads (a channel in southeastern Virginia through which the Elizabeth River and the James River flow into Chesapeake Bay)

Mozambique Channel (an arm of the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and southeastern Africa)

English Channel (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that forms a channel between France and Britain)

Harlem River (a channel separating Manhattan from the Bronx)

Windward Passage (a channel between eastern Cuba and western Haiti that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Caribbean Sea)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A long narrow furrow cut either by a natural process (such as erosion) or by a tool (as e.g. a groove in a phonograph record)

Synonyms:

channel; groove

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Hypernyms ("channel" is a kind of...):

depression; impression; imprint (a concavity in a surface produced by pressing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "channel"):

washout (the channel or break produced by erosion of relatively soft soil by water)

stria; striation (any of a number of tiny parallel grooves such as: the scratches left by a glacier on rocks or the streaks or ridges in muscle tissue)

rut (a groove or furrow (especially one in soft earth caused by wheels))

track (a groove on a phonograph recording)

rabbet; rebate (a rectangular groove made to hold two pieces together)

quirk (a narrow groove beside a beading)

flute; fluting (a groove or furrow in cloth etc (particularly a shallow concave groove on the shaft of a column))

dado (a rectangular groove cut into a board so that another piece can fit into it)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Send from one person or place to another

Example:

transmit a message

Synonyms:

channel; channelise; channelize; transfer; transmit; transport

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "channel" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "channel"):

bring; convey; fetch; get (go or come after and bring or take back)

project (transfer (ideas or principles) from one domain into another)

propagate (transmit)

translate (bring to a certain spiritual state)

release; turn (let (something) fall or spill from a container)

send; send out (to cause or order to be taken, directed, or transmitted to another place)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

channel ((often plural) a means of communication or access)

channelisation; channelization (management through specified channels of communication)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Direct the flow of

Example:

channel information towards a broad audience

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "channel" is one way to...):

channelise; channelize; direct; guide; head; maneuver; manoeuver; manoeuvre; point; steer (direct the course; determine the direction of travelling)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They channel the water from the sink

Derivation:

channel ((often plural) a means of communication or access)

channelisation; channelization (management through specified channels of communication)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Transmit or serve as the medium for transmission

Example:

Many metals conduct heat

Synonyms:

carry; channel; conduct; convey; impart; transmit

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "channel" is one way to...):

bring; convey; take (take something or somebody with oneself somewhere)

Verb group:

carry; convey; express (serve as a means for expressing something)

carry (be conveyed over a certain distance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "channel"):

wash up (carry somewhere (of water or current or waves))

pipe in (bring in through pipes)

bring in (transmit)

retransmit (transmit again)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

channel (a path over which electrical signals can pass)

channel ((often plural) a means of communication or access)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The finding represents the first direct evidence of the presence of liquid-filled channels on Titan, as well as the first observation of canyons hundreds of meters deep.

(Cassini Finds Flooded Canyons on Titan, NASA)

Amiloride inhibits sodium channels located in the distal tubules and collecting ducts of the kidney, thereby preventing the absorption of sodium and increasing its excretion along with water, to produce naturesis.

(Amiloride, NCI Thesaurus)

A synthetic dihydropyridine and a calcium channel blocker with antihypertensive and antianginal properties.

(Amlodipine, NCI Thesaurus)

At the injection site, mepivacaine hydrochloride acts by binding to specific membrane sodium ion channels in the neuronal cell membranes, thereby inhibiting sodium influx.

(Mepivacaine Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

At the injection site, mepivacaine binds to specific voltage-gated sodium ion channels in neuronal cell membranes, which inhibits both sodium influx and membrane depolarization.

(Mepivacaine, NCI Thesaurus)

It is caused by mutations in the chloride channel gene (CLCN1 gene).

(Myotonia Congenita, NCI Thesaurus)

It may be associated with abnormalities in the chloride or sodium channels of the muscles.

(Myotonic Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

In traditional Chinese medicine, one of 20 channels that form a network through which qi (the body's vital energy) flows and that connect the body’s acupuncture sites.

(Meridian, NCI Dictionary)

This leads to an increase in the opening of chloride channels, membrane hyperpolarization and increases the inhibitory effect of GABA in the CNS.

(Midazolam, NCI Thesaurus)

Following binding, monoclonal antibody RAV12 disrupts sodium channels of tumor cells expressing this glycotope, resulting in cell and organelle swelling, loss of membrane integrity, and cell death.

(Monoclonal Antibody RAV12, NCI Thesaurus)