capillary tubing
- noun
- /ˈkæpɪˌlɛri ˈtjuːbɪŋ/
- Specialized
- In the experiment, the dye traveled along the capillary tubing due to capillary action.
Examples
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For precise measurements, it is important to use capillary tubing with a small internal diameter.
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The scientist used capillary tubing to transfer the liquid samples without any spills.
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And so drivers do have these shirts, they're called cool shirts, very descriptive name that are just capillary tubes sewn onto a shirt.
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Micropipette glass electrodes used were pulled from 1.5-mm capillary tubing, filled with 3.6% NaCl, and were used for recording.
Academic text (2016)
Synonyms
A long hollow pipe that carries liquids, gases, or small objects
A very thin tube used to hold or move small amounts of liquid
A very thin tube that makes liquid climb inside it without a pump
How Thin
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'capillary' (a very thin tube that moves liquid by capillary action) + 'tubing' (hollow conduit for liquids), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to very thin tubing used for capillary action. This noun‑noun compounding follows standard, cross‑linguistically common composition patterns and therefore is immediately comprehensible to learners who know the constituents.
Etymology
Capillary tubing: The name capillary tubing comes from capillary, meaning 'hair-like', and tubing, meaning small tubes. In very thin tubes, liquid can climb up inside by a natural pull between the liquid and the tube, so the term means 'very thin tubes used to move or hold small amounts of liquid'.