A pipe or tube, possibly one used in plumbing, drainage, or musical instruments, that received its name from an unclear historical source.
Compound of 'cat' (origin obscure) and 'pipe' from Old English 'pipe' meaning a tube or musical instrument; the specific referent has become obscured in historical records.
Many old trade words like 'catpipe' have completely lost their original meaning—we're left with the words but not the knowledge of what made them cat-related, like having a name but forgetting the story behind it.
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