flue
Plural: flues
Noun
- An enclosed passageway for directing a current of air or smoke.
- flat bladelike projection on the arm of an anchor
- organ pipe whose tone is produced by air passing across the sharp edge of a fissure or lip
- a conduit to carry off smoke
- A pipe or duct that carries gaseous combustion products away from the point of combustion (such as a furnace).
- An enclosed passageway in which to direct a current of air or other gases along.
- A woolly or downy substance; down, nap; a piece of this.
- In an organ flue pipe, the opening between the lower lip and the languet.
Adj
- Alternative form of flew (“shallow, flat”).
Examples
- Finding a spot for FLUE on the board felt like guiding a smoke current to a perfect chimney.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English flue, flewe (“mouthpiece of a hunting horn”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a back-formation from Middle English *flews (mistaken as a plural), from Old English flēwsa (“a flow, flowing, flux”). Alternatively, perhaps an alteration of Middle English floute, fleute, flote (“a pipe”), see English flute. Compare also Middle Dutch vloegh (“groove, channel, flute of a fluted column”).
Synonyms
flue pipe, fluke, labial pipe
Scrabble Score: 7
flue: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordflue: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
flue: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary