shunt
|shunt|
/ʃʌnt/
divert or push aside
Etymology
'shunt' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'schunten' or similar Middle English forms, where it meant 'to shove aside or to turn aside.'
'shunt' likely changed from Middle English 'schunten' (or related forms) and may be influenced by Old English verbs with senses of turning away or shunning; it eventually became the modern English word 'shunt' with senses of diverting or pushing aside.
Initially, it meant 'to shove or turn aside,' and over time it developed specialized meanings such as an electrical bypass, a railway siding, and a medical passage while keeping the core idea of 'diverting' or 'moving aside.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a device or conductor that provides a bypass or alternate path for electrical current, often used to measure current or divert excess current.
The meter uses a shunt to measure high current by diverting most of it through a low-value resistor.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a short track or siding used to move or store railway vehicles; also the act of moving railcars onto such tracks (especially British usage).
There is a busy shunt near the yard where freight wagons are held.
Synonyms
Noun 3
a surgically created or pathological passage that redirects bodily fluids from one area to another (medical device or connection).
The patient required a shunt to relieve the excess cerebrospinal fluid.
Synonyms
Verb 1
to push or move something or someone to one side or onto a different track or position; to transfer by physical force or manoeuvre.
They shunt the empty wagons onto the siding every night.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/11/22 20:19