SHUNT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shunt mean? 

• SHUNT (noun)
  The noun SHUNT has 3 senses:

1. a passage by which a bodily fluid (especially blood) is diverted from one channel to another

2. a conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current

3. implant consisting of a tube made of plastic or rubber; for draining fluids within the body

  Familiarity information: SHUNT used as a noun is uncommon.

• SHUNT (verb)
  The verb SHUNT has 2 senses:

1. transfer to another track, of trains

2. provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt

  Familiarity information: SHUNT used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHUNT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A passage by which a bodily fluid (especially blood) is diverted from one channel to another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

an arteriovenus shunt

Hypernyms ("shunt" is a kind of...):

passage; passageway (a path or channel or duct through or along which something may pass)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shunt"):

bypass (a surgically created shunt (usually around a damaged part))

portacaval shunt (shunt that is created surgically between the portal vein and the inferior vena cava so that blood from the abdominal organs can bypass the liver)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bypass; electrical shunt; shunt

Hypernyms ("shunt" is a kind of...):

conductor (a device designed to transmit electricity, heat, etc.)

Holonyms ("shunt" is a part of...):

circuit; electric circuit; electrical circuit (an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow)

Derivation:

shunt (provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Implant consisting of a tube made of plastic or rubber; for draining fluids within the body

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("shunt" is a kind of...):

implant (a prosthesis placed permanently in tissue)

• SHUNT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they shunt    ... he / she / it shunts   
Past simple: shunted   
Past participle: shunted   
-ing form: shunting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Transfer to another track, of trains

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "shunt" is one way to...):

shift; transfer (move around)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

shunter (a small locomotive used to move cars around but not to make trips)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "shunt" is one way to...):

deviate (cause to turn away from a previous or expected course)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

shunt (a conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current)

 Context examples 

A shunt is a flexible but sturdy plastic tube.

(Hydrocephalus, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

A shunt (a long, thin tube) is placed in a ventricle of the brain and threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually the abdomen.

(Cerebrospinal fluid diversion, NCI Dictionary)

The presence of the pulmonary hypertension causes increased pressure in the right heart chambers resulting in the reversal of the shunt into a right-to-left shunt.

(Eisenmenger Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

It involves the placement of a shunt in a ventricle of the brain that is threaded under the skin to another part of the body.

(Cerebrospinal fluid diversion, NCI Thesaurus)

A cardiopulmonary disorder characterized by systemic arterial hypoxemia secondary to pulmonary hypertension and extrapulmonary right to left shunting across the foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus.

(Persistent Fetal Circulation, NCI Thesaurus)

The enzymatically synthesized isoform, 1,3-isoform diacylglycerol, is suggested to decrease formation of chylomicrons as well as shunting them directly to the liver through the portal vein where they are oxidized.

(Diacylglycerol, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent is used in radionuclide cisternography to image the flow of CSF, for the identification of abnormalities in CSF circulation, for location of sites of CSF leakage, and for evaluation of CSF shunt patency.

(Indium In 111 Pentetate, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent may stimulate tumor necrosis and promote shunting of blood flow to viable regions of the tumor, increasing their oxygenation and rendering them more susceptible to the antitumor effects of hyperthermia and ionizing radiation.

(Mitoflaxone, NCI Thesaurus)

Treatment usually involves surgery to insert a shunt.

(Hydrocephalus, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

The shunt carries excess fluid away from the brain so it may be absorbed elsewhere in the body.

(Cerebrospinal fluid diversion, NCI Dictionary)