Meaning & use
qanat
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
An underground channel that carries water by gravity from a source to fields or towns.
Grammar: Countable: one qanat, several qanats. Often used with 'dig' or 'build'.
Patterns
- dig a qanat
- a qanat system
- water from a qanat
Farmers in the dry valley still use a qanat to irrigate their crops.
The ancient qanat runs for miles beneath the desert.
Engineers restored the qanat so that clean water could reach the village again.
Word forms
| plural | qanats |
|---|
Common combinations
- qanat system
- The qanat system supplied water to the whole oasis.
- dig a qanat
- Workers had to dig a qanat through solid rock.
- ancient qanat
- The ancient qanat is still in use today.
- qanat water
- Qanat water is shared among the farmers according to a schedule.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: qanat or qadi?
qanat vs qadi
A qadi is a religious judge, not a water tunnel. The two words sound similar but belong to different fields.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'qanat' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A qanat is an underground water channel, so it can carry water. It cannot play music, decide legal cases, or be chewed; those actions belong to a qanun, a qadi, and qat respectively.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “qanat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.