blowpipe
blowpipe Lexical Profile
blowpipe Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A long, narrow tube through which darts, pellets, or other small projectiles are propelled by the force of the breath.
"The museum exhibit featured a traditional wooden blowpipe used by indigenous hunters in the rainforest."
A long metal tube used in glassblowing to gather molten glass from a furnace and shape it by blowing air into the mass.
"The artisan rotated the steel blowpipe steadily while inflating the glowing orb of molten glass."
A small tubular instrument used in chemistry, mineralogy, and metalwork to direct a concentrated jet of air or gas into a flame so as to intensify its heat for soldering or mineral analysis.
"The mineralogist used a brass blowpipe to fuse the ore sample on a charcoal block."
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the mid-17th century, formed as an English compound of 'blow' and 'pipe' in reference to a tube used for directing a stream of air.