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Added 9 October 2026

flue

/fluː/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about flue at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A pipe or duct that carries gaseous combustion products away from the point of combustion (such as a furnace).
An enclosed passageway in which to direct a current of air or other gases along.
A woolly or downy substance; down, nap; a piece of this.

adjective

Alternative form of flew (“shallow, flat”).

Origin

From Middle English flue, flewe (“mouthpiece of a hunting horn”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a back-formation from Middle English *flews (mistaken as a plural), from Old English flēwsa (“a flow, flowing, flux”). Alternatively, perhaps an alteration of Middle English floute, fleute, flote (“a pipe”), see English flute. Compare also Middle Dutch vloegh (“groove, channel, flute of a fluted column”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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