from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tube \Tube\, n. [L. tubus; akin to tuba a trumpet: cf F. tube.]
1. A hollow cylinder, of any material, used for the
conveyance of fluids, and for various other purposes; a
pipe.
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2. A telescope. "Glazed optic tube." --Milton.
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3. A vessel in animal bodies or plants, which conveys a fluid
or other substance.
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4. (Bot.) The narrow, hollow part of a gamopetalous corolla.
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5. (Gun.) A priming tube, or friction primer. See under
{Priming}, and {Friction}.
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6. (Steam Boilers) A small pipe forming part of the boiler,
containing water and surrounded by flame or hot gases, or
else surrounded by water and forming a flue for the gases
to pass through.
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7. (Zool.)
(a) A more or less cylindrical, and often spiral, case
secreted or constructed by many annelids, crustaceans,
insects, and other animals, for protection or
concealment. See Illust. of {Tubeworm}.
(b) One of the siphons of a bivalve mollusk.
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8. (Elec. Railways) A tunnel for a tube railway; also
(Colloq.), a tube railway; a subway. [Chiefly Eng.]
Note: In the New York area, the subways running under the
Hudson River are sometimes referred to as the tube.
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{Capillary tube}, a tube of very fine bore. See {Capillary}.
{Fire tube} (Steam Boilers), a tube which forms a flue.
{Tube coral}. (Zool.) Same as {Tubipore}.
{Tube foot} (Zool.), one of the ambulacral suckers of an
echinoderm.
{Tube plate}, or {Tube sheet} (Steam Boilers), a flue plate.
See under {Flue}.
{Tube pouch} (Mil.), a pouch containing priming tubes.
{Tube spinner} (Zool.), any one of various species of spiders
that construct tubelike webs. They belong to {Tegenaria},
{Agelena}, and allied genera.
{Water tube} (Steam Boilers), a tube containing water and
surrounded by flame or hot gases.
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