Qanat

Alternative forms

• kanat, qanāt

Origin

From Persian, from Arabic قنات.

Full definition of qanat

Noun

1. An underground conduit, between vertical shafts, that leads water from the interior of a hill to villages in the valley
• 1981: Richard Edward Chapman, Geology and Water: An Introduction to Fluid Mechanics for Geologists, page 112.Shafts are dug to the required level along the planned route of the qanat, every 300 m or so, and the construction of the ...
• 1988: Keith Stanley McLachlan, The Neglected Garden: The Politics and Ecology of Agriculture in IranElsewhere over large areas of the plateau and the foothill regions, the qanat irrigation cultures were weakened considerably. Water supplies diminished ...

Synonyms

• foggara
• kariz