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valve

valve

15 8.6
A hard shell part of some animals like snails and mussels that protects the body
  • noun
  • /vælv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : valva
  • When collecting snails, I found a perfect specimen with both valves intact.
  • mitral valve
  • heart valves
  • aortic valve

Examples

  • Other causes include hypertension, valve disease, and atrial fibrillation.

    Academic text (2011)
  • In less than 20 minutes, the upper pipe section and the broken valve were removed and lifted out of the way.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I have a genetic mitral valve prolapse.

  • Do you want to scrub in on an aortic valve replacement?

  • Narrow or floppy heart valves put extra stress on the heart.

  • The heart contains two atria, two ventricles... and four valves.

  • During the procedure, the patient's defective valve was trimmed and reconstructed.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The shell of the mussel consists of two parts, each known as a valve.

  • In biology class, we learned that each valve in a bivalve mollusc serves as a protective shell.

Compounds

mitral valve
  • Specialized
7 4.4

A valve in the left side of the heart that stops blood flowing backward

aortic valve
  • Specialized
5 4.8

A part in the heart that stops blood flowing back into the left chamber

relief valve
  • Specialized
4 3.9

A device that opens automatically to let out extra pressure

intake valve
  • Specialized
2 5.1

A valve that opens to let air and fuel into an engine cylinder

heart valve
  • Specialized
2 3.5

A flap in the heart that lets blood flow one way and stops it flowing back

safety valve
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A part on a boiler or similar machine that automatically lets out steam when pressure gets too high

heart valve
  • Specialized
1 3.8

An artificial device in the heart that takes the place of a damaged part that controls blood flow

tricuspid valve
  • Specialized
1 4.8

The part of the heart with three flaps that stops blood flowing back into the right upper chamber

butterfly valve
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A valve with a flat disc that turns to control or stop the flow of water and air

ball valve
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A device that controls the flow of water or gas using a round ball inside

exhaust valve
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A valve in a car engine that lets hot gases from the cylinder go outside

mitral valve prolapse
  • Specialized
1 5.6

The valve between the left chambers of the heart does not close, letting blood leak backward

ileocecal valve
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A small muscle that controls flow from the small intestine into the large intestine

1 4.0

A way to let out strong feelings, for example by exercise

bicuspid valve
  • Specialized
4.0

A heart part with two flaps between the left upper and left lower chambers that controls blood flow

cardiac valve
  • Specialized
4.3

A valve in the heart that makes blood flow one way between chambers and major vessels

clack valve
  • Specialized
8.8

A small device with a flap that lets liquid flow one way only

clapper valve
  • Specialized
8.0

A simple device with a hinged flap that lets liquid flow in one direction and stops it flowing back

escape valve
  • Specialized
4.4

A device that opens by itself to let out extra pressure and prevent explosions

5.4

A valve between an upper and lower heart chamber that lets blood flow one way

5.0

A heart valve with two flaps that lets blood move from the left atrium to the left ventricle without backflow

mitral valve stenosis
  • Specialized
6.7

A condition where the heart valve between the left upper and lower chambers becomes narrow and slows blood flow

pulmonary valve
  • Specialized
5.2

A valve between the heart's right side and the vessel to the lungs that stops blood flowing back

pyloric valve
  • Specialized
8.5

A ring of muscle at the lower end of the stomach that lets food pass into the small intestine

9.9

An electronic tube that changes a back-and-forth flow of electricity into a one-way flow

A valve with three flaps between the right upper and lower chambers of the heart that stops blood flowing backward

5.7

A part that opens by itself to let out pressure and prevent an accident

poppet valve
  • Specialized
8.6

A disc-shaped engine part that moves up and down to open or close a hole for gases

semilunar valve
  • Specialized
6.0

A part of the heart with moon-shaped flaps that stops blood flowing back after each beat

9.9

An electronic device in a sealed glass tube that controls electric current in old radios

throttle valve
  • Specialized
6.3

A part that controls how much air and fuel go into an engine to change its speed or power

slide valve
  • Specialized
7.7

A device that controls the flow of a liquid or gas by sliding over an opening

sluice valve
  • Specialized
7.2

A gate that controls water flow in a canal

valve rocker
  • Specialized
7.6

A lever in an engine that moves the valve to open and close

valve-in-head engine
  • Specialized
8.5

An engine with the parts that let air in and let exhaust out at the top of the cylinders

Surface Forms

valve singular
valves plural

Etymology

Valve comes from the old Latin word valva meaning 'leaf' or 'door', and the shell part was seen like a little 'door' that closes to protect the animal. You can see the same idea in the word bivalve ('bi-' = two), which helps explain why shell pieces are called valves.