flue

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flue^¹

/fluː/ UK
[flʉː] UK
/flu/ Canada, US
/flʉː/ Australia, New Zealand
/fljuː/ obsolete

Sounds like flew, flu · Rhymes with -uː

Where it comes from

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”).

noun flues

A pipe or duct that carries gaseous combustion products away from the point of combustion (such as a furnace). It has frequently been a subject of inquiry, whether the ancients were acquainted with chimneys, or open fire-places. In the houses discovered at Herculaneum and Pompeii, there are no chimneys; they all appear to have been warmed by furnaces and flues.
An enclosed passageway in which to direct a current of air or other gases along.
countable, obsolete, uncountable A woolly or downy substance; down, nap; a piece of this.
In an organ flue pipe, the opening between the lower lip and the languet.

flue^²

/fluː/ UK
[flʉː] UK
/flu/ Canada, US
/flʉː/ Australia, New Zealand
/fljuː/ obsolete

Sounds like flew, flu · Rhymes with -uː

adjective more flue · most flue

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

Translations

Every language

noun pipe that carries gaseous combustion products away from their origin

Español	humero
Français	conduit
Deutsch	Abzug, Dunstabzug, Rauchabzug
Italiano	canna fumaria, tubo di scarico, condotta, scarico
Русский	дымохо́д dymoxód, жарова́я труба́ žarovája trubá

noun enclosed passageway for a gas

Français	conduit

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MLA

"flue." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/flue. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

flue. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/flue

Chicago

"flue." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/flue.

BibTeX

@misc{flue_2026,
  title = {flue},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/flue},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}