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say it: kuh-NAL
canal is a noun and verb meaning "(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion". It carries 4 recorded senses.
(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion
astronomy
a bodily passage or tube lined with epithelial cells and conveying a secretion or other substance
“the tear duct was obstructed”
“the alimentary canal”
“poison is released through a channel in the snake's fangs”
long and narrow strip of water made for boats or for irrigation
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for canal come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.