Funnel \Fun"nel\, n. [OE. funel, fonel, prob. through OF. fr, L.
   fundibulum, infundibulum, funnel, fr. infundere to pour in;
   in in + fundere to pour; cf. Armor. founil funnel, W. ffynel
   air hole, chimney. See {Fuse}, v. t.]
   1. A vessel of the shape of an inverted hollow cone,
      terminating below in a pipe, and used for conveying
      liquids or pourable solids into a vessel with a narrow
      opening; a tunnel.
      
[1913 Webster]


   2. A passage or avenue for a fluid or flowing substance;
      specifically, a smoke flue or pipe; the iron chimney of a
      steamship or the like.
      
[1913 Webster]


   {Funnel box} (Mining), an apparatus for collecting finely
      crushed ore from water. --Knight.

   {Funnel stay} (Naut.), one of the ropes or rods steadying a
      steamer's funnel.
      
[1913 Webster]

funnel
     n 1: a conical shape with a wider and a narrower opening at the
          two ends [syn: {funnel shape}]
     2: a conically shaped utensil having a narrow tube at the small
        end; used to channel the flow of substances into a
        container with a small mouth
     3: (nautical) smokestack consisting of a shaft for ventilation
        or the passage of smoke (especially the smokestack of a
        ship)
     v : move or pour through a funnel; "funnel the liquid into the
         small bottle"
     [also: {funnelling}, {funnelled}]

106 Moby Thesaurus words for "funnel":
   adjutage, approach, asymptote, bottleneck, canalize, carry,
   catheter, center, centralize, channel, channelize, chimney, close,
   close in, close up, close with, collision course, come together,
   complex cone, concenter, concentralization, concentralize,
   concentrate, concentration, concourse, concurrence, conduct, cone,
   conelet, confluence, conflux, congress, conoid, converge,
   convergence, converging, convey, cop, cornet, crossing, drainpipe,
   efflux tube, fall in with, fire hose, flue, flue pipe, flume,
   focalization, focus, fumarole, garden hose, gas pipe, hose,
   hosepipe, hub, ice-cream cone, intersect, meet, meeting,
   mutual approach, narrow the gap, narrowing gap, nip, nipple,
   organ pipe, pinch, pine cone, pipe, pipeline, pipette, piping,
   put through, put through channels, radius, reed, reed pipe,
   run together, siamese, siamese connection, siphon, smokeshaft,
   smokestack, snorkel, soil pipe, spokes, stack, standpipe,
   steam pipe, stem, stovepipe, straw, tangent, tap, taper, traject,
   transmit, trench, tube, tubing, tubulation, tubule, tubulet,
   tubulure, unite, waste pipe, water pipe