A valve is a device attached to a pipe or a tube which controls the flow of air or liquid through the pipe or tube.
2. countable noun
A valve is a small piece of tissue in your heart or in a vein which controls the flow of blood and keeps it flowing in one direction only.
He also has problems with a heart valve.
3. See also safety valve
valve in British English
(vælv)
noun
1.
any device that shuts off, starts, regulates, or controls the flow of a fluid
2. anatomy
a flaplike structure in a hollow organ, such as the heart, that controls the one-way passage of fluid through that organ
3. Also called: tube, vacuum tube
an evacuated electron tube containing a cathode, anode, and, usually, one or more additional control electrodes. When a positive potential is applied to the anode, electrons emitted from the cathode are attracted to the anode, constituting a flow of current which can be controlled by a voltage applied to the grid to produce amplification, oscillation, etc
See also diode (sense 2), triode (sense 1), tetrode, pentode
4. zoology
any of the separable pieces that make up the shell of a mollusc
5. music
a device on some brass instruments by which the effective length of the tube may be varied to enable a chromatic scale to be produced
6. botany
a.
any of the several parts that make up a dry dehiscent fruit, esp a capsule
b.
either of the two halves of a diatom cell wall
7. archaic
a leaf of a double door or of a folding door
Derived forms
valveless (ˈvalveless)
adjective
valvelike (ˈvalveˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Latin valva a folding door
valve in American English
(vælv)
noun
1. Archaic
either of the halves of a double door or any of the leaves of a folding door
2.
a gate regulating the flow of water in a sluice, channel, etc.
3. Anatomy
a membranous fold or structure which permits body fluids to flow in one direction only, or opens and closes a tube, chamber, etc.
4. Botany
a.
any of the segments into which a pod or capsule separates when it bursts open
b.
a lidlike part in some anthers, through which pollen is discharged
c.
either of the boxlike halves forming the cell walls of a diatom
5. Electronics
a.
a device, esp. a rectifier, that allows current to flow in only one direction
b. British
electron tube
6. Mechanics
a.
any device in a pipe or tube that permits a flow in one direction only, or regulatesthe flow of whatever is in the pipe, by means of a flap, lid, plug, etc. acting to open or block passage
b.
the flap, lid, plug, etc.
7. Music
a device in certain brass instruments, as the trumpet, that opens (or closes) an auxiliary to the main tube, lengthening (or shortening) the air column and lowering (or raising) the pitch
8. Zoology
a.
each separate part making up the shell of a mollusk, barnacle, etc.
b.
any of the parts forming the sheath of an ovipositor in certain insects
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: valved or ˈvalving
9.
to fit with or make use of a valve or valves
10.
to regulate the flow of (a fluid) by means of a valve or valves
Derived forms
valveless (ˈvalveless)
adjective
Word origin
ME, a door leaf < L valva, leaf of a folding door, akin to volvere, to roll: see walk; senses valve (sense 3), valve (sense 4), valve (sense 8) < ModL valva < L
valve in Automotive Engineering
(vælv)
Word forms: (regular plural) valves
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Bodywork, controls, and accessories)
A valve is a device attached to a pipe or a tube that controls the flow of air or liquidthrough the pipe or tube.
The specification also includes twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.
One camshaft operates the intake valve and the other the exhaust valve.
As the car wheels move over uneven road surfaces, the piston forces oil through thevalves, where it meets a resistance.
The rebound from the July wobbles owed something to the sterling safety valve.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Like a safety valve, it releases the pent-up pressures of our wired cacophony.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The chambers are divided by valves which control the flow of blood through them.
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
An enlarged heart muscle or narrowed valve would make you short of breath when exercising.
The Sun (2012)
Fit an isolation valve to a gas cooker so it cannot be turned on and left on.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There were pipes and valves to make it breathe and move.
The Sun (2016)
This manufacturer of pumps and valves supplies mining and energy exploration companies around the globe.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This is because sterling is a safety valve.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It provides control valves for liquids at high temperatures and pressures.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
When a faulty heart valve can be used instead of metal and plastic ones.
The Sun (2013)
Firefighters said a man had taken off a valve before realising gas was still leaking out.
The Sun (2010)
There is no safety valve for their views.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
These are the noises made by the valves in the heart as they snap shut.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This is the part of the heart that receives blood through the valve and then pumps it round the body.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There's a button for the air valve.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The picture featured a cross-section of a giant pump made with leather valves and wooden pipes.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It is now focused on valves that control the flow of dangerous, sensitive or expensive fluids.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Worth 105m, it makes specialist valves for bulk liquid tankers.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
For example, a one-way valve in the drainage pipe can stop sewage backing up into the house.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
THE first traffic lights in Victorian London exploded because of a leaking gas valve.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
valve
British English: valve NOUN
A valve is a device attached to a pipe or a tube which controls the flow of air or liquid through the pipe or tube.
American English: valve
Brazilian Portuguese: válvula
Chinese: 阀门
European Spanish: válvula
French: valve
German: Ventil
Italian: valvola
Japanese: 弁
Korean: 밸브
European Portuguese: válvula
Latin American Spanish: válvula
All related terms of 'valve'
air valve
a device for controlling the flow of air in a pipe
PCV valve
a one-way valve on a motor-vehicle engine for regulating a pollution control system that draws crankcase fumes into the cylinders for burning
acorn valve
a small electronic valve , approximately acorn-shaped with small closely-spaced electrodes , used in ultrahigh-frequency applications
ball valve
a one-way valve consisting of a metal ball with a cylindrical hole fitting into a concave seat over an opening
bleed valve
a valve for running off a liquid from a tank , tube , etc, or for allowing accumulations of gas in a liquid to blow off
check valve
a valve that closes by fluid pressure to prevent return flow
clack valve
a simple nonreturn valve using either a hinged flap or a ball
float valve
a valve regulated by a float
foot valve
a nonreturn valve at the inlet end of a pipe
gate valve
a valve in a pipe or channel having a sliding plate that controls the flow
radio valve
any device that shuts off, starts, regulates , or controls the flow of a fluid
slide valve
a valve that slides across an aperture to expose the port or opening
tyre valve
a valve that allows air to be added to a tyre with an air hose and allows air to be withdrawn from an over-inflated tyre by pressing on a stem at the end of the valve
valve gear
a mechanism that operates the valves of a reciprocating engine, usually involving the use of cams , pushrods , rocker arms, etc
valve lift
The valve lift is the distance by which the valve is raised from its seated position when it is fully opened.
valve seat
The valve seat is the ring-shaped surface with which a poppet valve closes .
valve train
A valve train is the total mechanism that causes the valves of an engine to lift and close.
aortic valve
a semilunar valve between the aorta and the left ventricle of the heart that prevents the blood from flowing back into the left ventricle
escape valve
a valve that releases air, steam , etc, above a certain pressure; relief valve or safety valve
exhaust valve
An exhaust valve is a valve that releases burned gases from a cylinder .
intake valve
a valve which controls fluid entering a duct or channel
mitral valve
the valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart , consisting of two membranous flaps , that prevents regurgitation of blood into the atrium
needle valve
a valve containing a tapered rod that can be moved in or out to control the flow of a fluid
outlet valve
a valve (on a pipe , etc) controlling the escape or release (of liquid, etc)
poppet valve
A poppet valve is a disk-shaped intake or exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine.
release valve
a type of valve used to control or limit the pressure that can build up in a system or vessel
relief valve
a type of valve used to control or limit the pressure that can build up in a system or vessel
safety valve
A safety valve is a device which allows liquids or gases to escape from a machine when the pressure inside it becomes too great .
sleeve valve
(in an internal-combustion engine ) a valve in the form of a thin steel sleeve fitted between the cylinder and piston and having a reciprocating and rotary oscillation movement
suction valve
a nonreturn valve in a pump suction to prevent the pump draining or depriming when not in service
vacuum valve
→ vacuum tube
valve bounce
A valve bounce is the bouncing of a poppet valve on its seat when it is closing .
valve spring
a helical spring used to hold closed a valve in the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine
valve timing
Valve timing is the exact timing of the opening and closing of the valves in a piston engine.
bicuspid valve
→ mitral valve
butterfly valve
a disc that acts as a valve by turning about a diameter , esp one used as the throttle valve in a carburettor
nonreturn valve
a valve that closes by fluid pressure to prevent return flow
overhead valve
a valve in a type of internal-combustion engine in which the inlet and exhaust valves are in the cylinder head above the pistons
pulmonary valve
a semilunar valve between the pulmonary artery and the right ventricle of the heart that prevents the blood from flowing back into the right ventricle
semilunar valve
either of two crescent-shaped valves , one in the aorta and one in the pulmonary artery , that prevent regurgitation of blood into the heart
throttle valve
any device that controls the quantity of fuel or fuel and air mixture entering an engine
valve trombone
cut-off valve
a valve that terminates the flow of fluid in a system
thermionic valve
an electronic valve in which electrons are emitted from a heated rather than a cold cathode
side-valve engine
a type of internal-combustion engine in which the inlet and exhaust valves are in the cylinder block at the side of the pistons
flux gate
an instrument used to measure the force and direction of the earth's magnetic field
downhole safety valve
A downhole safety valve is a piece of safety equipment used inside a well , which isolates wellbore pressure and fluid if something bad happens .
overhead-valve engine
a type of internal-combustion engine in which the inlet and exhaust valves are in the cylinder head above the pistons
valve-in-head engine
a type of internal-combustion engine, as in many automobiles , having the intake and exhaust valves in the cylinder head instead of the block
poppet
a term of affection for a small child or sweetheart