Piped

Piped is the past participle of pipe and functions as an adjective describing something that is supplied, conveyed, or connected by pipes. In everyday use, it denotes systems or components that transport liquids, gases, or other substances through a network of tubes. Piped infrastructure is common in buildings and industries, using materials such as copper, steel, PVC, CPVC, or PEX. Design and installation emphasize appropriate sizing, pressure considerations, thermal expansion, joint integrity, and compliance with safety and plumbing codes. Typical applications include potable water supply, wastewater drainage, natural gas distribution, and heating or cooling networks.

In computing, piping refers to a method of linking separate processes so that the output of one process becomes the input of the next. This technique enables streamlined data processing and is a core concept in Unix-like operating systems and many programming environments. The phrase “the output is piped to” describes this data flow. Piping can use standard anonymous pipes or named pipes (FIFOs) for inter-process communication, enabling complex workflows without intermediate temporary files. Piping is widely supported across programming languages and shells, sometimes with variations in syntax but sharing the same fundamental idea of chained processing.

Other uses include music and media, where pipes are central to instruments like pipe organs and bagpipes; “piped” music can refer to such instruments or to electronically distributed music that imitates or uses pipe-based sources. The term ultimately derives from pipe, reflecting the central role of tubes in transportation, transmission, and connection across contexts.