Other forms: syphons; syphoned; syphoning
A tube that's used to move liquid up and out of a container is known as a syphon. One way to remove water from a flooded basement is to use a powerful syphon.
The word syphon, also spelled siphon, comes from a Greek root meaning "pipe" or "tube for drawing wine from a cask." Syphons work using the power of gravity to pull liquid out of one container and into another. The word is also a verb, meaning "to move using a syphon." Figuratively, you can use it for other kinds of emptying, like when you syphon coins out of your brother's piggy bank.