siphoned

Siphoned is the past tense of siphon, a term used to describe the action of drawing a liquid from one container into another using a siphon—a tube that relies on gravity and atmospheric pressure. The word siphon comes from Latin siphon, itself from Greek siphon, meaning a tube or pipe.

A siphon is typically a U-shaped tube through which liquid can move from a higher reservoir to a lower one due to gravity. The flow is driven by the difference in hydrostatic pressure between the source and the destination, which is aided by atmospheric pressure acting on the liquid column. In practice, the process continues as long as the outlet is lower than the source and no air disrupts the liquid column. The maximum practical height of a siphon in open air is limited by atmospheric pressure, roughly 10 meters at sea level.

Common uses include transferring fuels, changing water in containers or aquariums, draining liquids from containers, and various laboratory or medical contexts where liquid transfer is needed. In some setups, care must be taken to ensure the liquid remains within the tube and that air does not enter, as this can interrupt the flow or introduce contaminants.

Safety and legality: siphoning gasoline or other liquids from someone else’s property is often illegal and can be dangerous due to spills, fumes, or environmental harm. The term also appears in metaphorical usage to describe draining resources or funds, outside of its physical meaning.