Valve
/vælv/noun
A device for controlling the flow of a fluid or gas, or one of a hinged pair of leaf-like parts.
Did you know?Valve ultimately comes from Latin *valva*, a “folding door” or “leaf of a door,” from *volvere* meaning “to roll,” so the word began as architecture before it became machinery.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wel-
“to turn, roll, or revolve”
Latin
Latin
volvere
“to roll, turn, or revolve”
Latin
Latin
valva
“a folding door or one leaf of a double door”
Late Latin
Latin
valva / valvula
“a little folding door; a small valve”
Old French
Old French
valve
“a folding door; a valve”
Middle English
English
valve
“a folding door; later, a mechanical flap or regulator”
Modern English
English
valve
“a device that controls the flow of a liquid, gas, or other substance”
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