Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
SIPHON
I. noun also syphon
Etymology: French siphon, from Latin siphon-, sipho tube, pipe, siphon, from Greek siphōn
Date: 1659
1. a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level over an intermediate elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the tube immersed in it while the excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch when once filled causes a continuous flow, a bottle for holding aerated water that is driven out through a bent tube in its neck by the pressure of the gas when a valve in the tube is opened, any of various tubular organs in animals and especially mollusks or arthropods that are used for drawing in or ejecting fluids,
II. verb also syphon (siphoned; also syphoned; siphoning; also syphoning)
Date: 1859
transitive verb to convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a siphon, intransitive verb to pass by or as if by a siphon