canal

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French canal, from Old French canal, from Latin canālis (“channel; canal”), from canālis (“canal”), from canna (“reed, cane”), from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na). Doublet of channel.

Pronunciation

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /kəˈnæl/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /kəˈnæl/, /kəˈnɛl/
• Rhymes: -æl

Noun

canal (plural canals)

1. An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.
2. (anatomy) A tubular channel within the body.
3. (astronomy) One of the faint, hazy markings resembling straight lines on early telescopic images of the surface of Mars; see Martian canals

Verb

canal (third-person singular simple present canals, present participle canaling or canalling, simple past and past participle canaled or canalled)

1. To dig an artificial waterway in or to (a place), especially for drainage
   • 1968, Louisiana State University, Proceedings‎, page 165:

     In the mangrove-type salt marsh, the entire marsh must be canaled or impounded.

2. To travel along a canal by boat
   • 1905, William Yoast Morgan, A Journey of a Jayhawker, page 211:

     Near Rotterdam we canalled by Delfthaven.

Anagrams

• Alcan, Clana, Nalca

Etymology

Inherited from Latin canālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈnal/ [kaˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ca‧nal

Noun

canal f (plural canales)

1. canal (artificial waterway)

Etymology

Inherited from Latin canālis (“channel; canal”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [kəˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kaˈnal]
• Hyphenation: ca‧nal

Noun

canal m (plural canals)

1. canal (artificial passage for water)
2. channel
3. (anatomy) channel, tract

   canal digestiu ― digestive tract

Noun

canal f (plural canals)

1. roof gutter

   Synonyms: canaló, ràfec

2. (architecture) groove, fluting (of a column, etc.)

   Synonyms: estria, solc

3. crease, fold
4. (bookbinding) fore edge
5. carcass

Further reading

• “canal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “canal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “canal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “canal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin canālis. Doublet of chenal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.nal/

• Audio; “un canal”:

  (file)

Noun

canal m (plural canaux)

1. canal
2. channel (broadcasting: specific radio frequency or band of frequencies)

See also

• chaîne

Further reading

• “canal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• lança