Canal
/kəˈnæl/noun
A human-made waterway or channel for navigation, drainage, or irrigation.
Did you know?Canal comes from Latin *canalis*, a word for a pipe or water channel, ultimately tied to *canna* (“reed” or “tube”), so its history is less occult than architectural—but still deeply about channeling flow.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kan-
“to bend, curve, or be hollowed out”
Latin
Latin
canna
“reed; cane; hollow tube”
Latin
Latin
canalis
“channel, pipe, water conduit”
Old French
Old French
canal
“ditch, water channel”
16th Century
English
canal
“artificial waterway for drainage or transport”
Modern English
English
canal
“a human-made waterway or channel”