Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

valve

/ˈvælv/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables: valve
IPA: /ˈvælv/

11

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a space, such as a pipe, manifold, or plenum.

noun

A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a space, such as a pipe, manifold, or plenum.

noun

One or more membranous partitions, flaps, or folds, which permit the passage of the contents of a vessel or cavity in one direction, but stop or control the flow in the opposite direction.

noun

One of the leaves of a folding door or of a window sash.

noun

British usage

noun

One of the pieces into which certain fruits naturally separate when they dehisce.

noun

A small portion of certain anthers, which opens like a trapdoor to allow the pollen to escape, such as in the barberry.

noun

One of the pieces or divisions of bivalve or multivalve shells.

Example Sentences

"open the valve"
"close the valve"
"shut off the valve"
"An oil refinery has an impressively vast number and variety of valves."
"Near-synonym: poppet valve"
"In nearly all internal combustion engines, the valves are of the poppet type."

Etymology

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

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *welH-, valve, valva

Usage

British usage
Transitive verb

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Medicine.

Inflected Forms

valves (plural) valves (present, singular) valving (participle, present) valved (participle, past) valved (past)

Derived Forms

electrovalve epivalve equivalve hypovalve microvalve multivalve nanovalve nonvalve quadrivalve quinquevalve trivalve univalve

Phrases

aortic valve atrioventricular valve bag valve mask ball valve Bauhin's valve bicuspid valve blow valve butterfly valve

Synonyms

poppet valve

Rhymes With

safety valve salve

Questions

How do you pronounce valve?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvælv/.
What does valve mean?: A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a space, such as a pipe, manifold, or plenum.
Where does valve come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce valve

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “valve”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈvælv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “valve”.
Repeat and practice — Say “valve” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.