Artificial waterways constructed for navigation, irrigation, or drainage, or natural tubular passages in the body.
From Latin 'canalis' meaning 'channel' or 'pipe', related to 'canna' (reed). The word entered English through Old French, maintaining its meaning of constructed waterways since the 14th century.
The Panama and Suez Canals revolutionized global trade by creating artificial shortcuts between oceans, but the word 'canal' originally referred to much humbler irrigation ditches. This shows how human ambition can transform simple concepts into world-changing engineering feats.
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