What's the difference between a tube and a pipe?

Question

There are an awful lot of synonyms in English but there is usually a subtle semantic difference i.e. they mean very subtly different things depending on where they are used.
But I can't see any difference with these two. Can you?
Could it be that a tube is just a tube but a pipe has to carry something?

Answer 1

My first thought on this would be the material its made out of. Pipe isnt made of cardboard, a tube can be. But I think you are right in that in some definitions of the 2 words they can be used synonymously. However in other definitions there are differences.

Answer 2

Hi The difference between a pipe and a tube: As in a lot of words in the English language there are several that have the same or equivalent meanings but have come from different roots. In this case TUBE is from the old French and Latin (Tubus) and PIPE is Old English or Saxon (Pijp). The difference is semantic and can mean different things to different people. Regards G

Answer 3

tubes are flexible, usually made of rubber or some other sort of plyible material. Pipes are stiff and hard and cannot be freely bent. They otherwise have the same function. Whoever said it was because one is sealed and the other is an open system is wrong. If you think about it enough, you can think of situations where tubes are open on one end (such as a hose) or that pipes are closed systems (sewerage system).

I had this same question not to long ago when i was using a manual to remove a car engine. So, i looked it up.

Answer 4

Materials and Size usually make a difference in determining pipe versus tubing. Pipe is generally considered to be rigid wall and over 2 inch diameter. Tubing is generally flexible walled and under 2 inch diameter.

Answer 5

There are many definitions of each one. Some are the same for each, and some are different, but if someome asked me for a synonym for tube, I would say pipe and if someone asked me for a synonym for pipe, I'd say tube.

You can read all of the definitions for each word, but it still all comes down to the fact that they are pretty much the same thing.

Answer 6

Here's what a dictionary says:

PIPE:

1. a hollow cylinder of metal, wood, or other material, used for the conveyance of water, gas, steam, petroleum, etc.

2. a tube of wood, clay, hard rubber, or other material, with a small bowl at one end, used for smoking tobacco, opium, etc.

3. a quantity, as of tobacco, that fills the bowl of such a smoking utensil.

4. Music. a. a tube used as, or to form an essential part of, a musical wind instrument.

b. a musical wind instrument consisting of a single tube of straw, reed, wood, or other material, as a flute, clarinet, or oboe.

c. one of the wooden or metal tubes from which the tones of an organ are produced.

d. a small end-blown flute played with one hand while the other beats a small drum.



5. Nautical. a. boatswain's pipe.

b. the sound of a boatswain's pipe.



6. the call or utterance of a bird, frog, etc.

7. pipes, Informal. the human vocal cords or the voice, esp. as used in singing.

8. Usually, pipes. a. Music. bagpipe.

b. a set of flutes, as a panpipe.

c. Informal. a tubular organ or passage of a human or animal body, esp. a respiratory passage: to complain of congested pipes.



9. any of various tubular or cylindrical objects, parts, or formations, as an eruptive passage of a volcano or geyser.

10. Mining. a. a cylindrical vein or body of ore.

b. (in South Africa) a vertical, cylindrical matrix, of intrusive igneous origin, in which diamonds are found.



11. Metallurgy. a depression occurring at the center of the head of an ingot as a result of the tendency of solidification to begin at the bottom and sides of the ingot mold.



TUBE:

1. a hollow, usually cylindrical body of metal, glass, rubber, or other material, used esp. for conveying or containing liquids or gases.

2. a small, collapsible, cylinder of metal or plastic sealed at one end and having a capped opening at the other from which paint, toothpaste, or some other semifluid substance may be squeezed.

3. Anatomy, Zoology. any hollow, cylindrical vessel or organ: the bronchial tubes.

4. Botany. a. any hollow, elongated body or part.

b. the united lower portion of a gamopetalous corolla or a gamosepalous calyx.



5. inner tube.

6. Electronics. electron tube.

7. Informal. a. television.

b. a television set.



8. mailing tube.

9. the tubular tunnel in which an underground railroad runs.

10. the railroad itself.

11. Surfing Slang. the curled hollow formed on the underside of a cresting wave.

12. British. subway (def. 1).

13. Australian Slang. a can of beer.

14. Older Slang. a telescope.



I admit it's long and could be boring; but it's good to read, believe me.

Answer 7

A tube is probably just the cylindrical shape, but a pipe implies that it carries something and may be attached to something else. Also, I don't think a pipe has to be cylindrical, while a tube does.

Answer 8

A pipe is usually made of a metal material... A tube can be anything from paper/cardboard to plastic... (that's the best answer I can come up with)

Answer 9

Yes, a tube can be anything that is just shaped that way. A pipe is a type of hard ware to be used for some type of purpose.

Answer 10

pipes and tubes can both be used for the same purpose, however the size of a pipe is normally denoted by its outside diameter and tube by its inside diameter.

Answer 11

tubes have stuff in them,(flourescent tube, old radio valves) whilst pipes carry stuff, like water, gas, and sewage. (and tobacco)



square tube is called box section, or rectangular hollow section...



and yes, we do have carboard tubes.. (well raised) mmm, could it be that tubes are laminated rolls...



and we call it gas pipe and steam pipe, but we also have seamless tubing, and welded tubing.. and extruded pipe.



im a welder, and now i write it down, it must seem rather ambiguous to everyone... nit picking... and splitting hairs.



maybe its a regional thing, i call it a boot, you call it a trunk...

Answer 12

I would've said that a pipe is rigid, whereas a tube can be flexible - like an inner tube for a bicycle.

Answer 13

A pipe is round. A tube can be any hollow shape.Hence, square tubeing.

Answer 14

A tube is plastic or flexible and a pipe is medal

Answer 15

You can smoke a pipe, but I`ve never seen anyone smoking a tube. {;o)

Answer 16

Pipe to me means rigid. A tube seems like it would be of a softer material.

Answer 17

A tube also carries trains!

Answer 18

a tube has a seam a pipe does not

Answer 19

A pipe has fittings at stages along its length.

Answer 20

I Tube you catch the underground train

A pipe you smoke

Answer 21

a tube is sealed a pipe is not

Answer 22

woah good question! i think pipes/piping means that they are underground and/or behind walls, not visible, ect

Answer 23

a pipe is usually made of something metal.

MG has an excellent answer

Answer 24

Its the same, tubes are bigger tho

Answer 25

Some of the answers are very close but here is more detail from a dictionary. There was just to much info to type it all so here it is...



tube

tube [toob, tyoob]

n (plural tubes)

1. cylinder for transporting or storing liquids: a long hollow cylinder used to transport or store liquids

2. collapsible container with cap: a collapsible, generally cylindrical container sealed at one end and closed with a cap at the other. It is used for packaging semiliquid substances such as toothpaste.

3. anatomy cylindrical body organ: a hollow cylindrical organ that transports liquids or gases around the body

4. anatomy Same as fallopian tube

(informal) (usually used in the plural)

5. rail underground railway: the underground railway system in London (informal)

6. rail underground train: a train on an underground railway system (informal)

7. cycling Same as inner tube

8. electronics Same as cathode-ray tube

9. tv Same as television (sense 1)

10. botany channel in plant: a narrow enclosed channel in a plant, e.g. the organ in a germinating pollen grain that conveys the male gametes to the ovule

11. botany flower part: a roughly cylindrical fusion of the petals of a flower such as a daffodil

12. electronics Same as vacuum tube

(informal)

13. music body of wind instrument: the hollow cylinder that forms the main body of a wind instrument, through which the player's breath passes

14. surfing part of wave: the tunnel formed when a large rolling wave prepares to break

vt (past and past participle tubed, present participle tub·ing, 3rd person present singular tubes)

1. fit something with tube: to supply or fit something with a tube

2. enclose something in tube: to put something in a tube

[Early 17th century. Via French < Latin tubus ]

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.



And



pipe1

pipe [pīp]

n (plural pipes)

1. tube for transporting liquid or gas: a long cylindrical tube that water, oil, gas, or other such material passes through

2. tube of any kind: an object in tubular form

3. device for smoking tobacco: a small bowl with a hollow stem coming from it, used for smoking tobacco or other substances. Pipes are usually made of wood or clay.

The tobacco is burned in the bowl and the smoke drawn into the mouth through the stem.

4. amount in smoker's pipe: the amount of tobacco or other substance that the bowl of a smoker's pipe holds

5. hollow body part: a tubular part or organ in a plant or animal, especially one in an animal's respiratory system

6. tubular musical instrument played by blowing: a tubular musical instrument that is played by blowing air into it

7. tubular part of musical organ: an upright tubular part of a musical organ that produces sound when air is blown into it

8. wind instrument of Middle Ages: a three-holed wind instrument of the Middle Ages, played with one hand while the other hand beats on a small drum

9. sailor's whistle: a small whistle used for signaling orders to a ship's crew, usually by a boatswain

10. high-pitched noise: a high-pitched or shrill noise, e.g. a birdcall

11. geology cylinder-shaped geologic formation: a vertical cylinder-shaped geologic formation, e.g. a vein of ore

12. geology passage through which lava flows: a vertical passage through which molten lava flows

13. metallurgy hole in cast metal: a conical cavity in the middle of a piece of metal, produced by gas escaping as the metal cools

or pipes, npl

1. music bagpipes: a pair of bagpipes

2. vocal cords: the vocal cords or voice, especially when used to sing (slang)

3. human bowel or respiratory passages: the passages of the human respiratory or intestinal system (slang)

v (past and past participle piped, present participle pip·ing, 3rd person present singular pipes)

1. vt carry something by pipe: to carry something, especially water, gas, or a semisolid, by means of a pipe, pipeline, or system of pipes

The company pipes crude oil to the refinery.

2. vti install or equip with pipes: to equip something with pipes, or install pipes and their connections in something

3. vt play tune on pipe: to play a tune on a musical pipe

4. vt send piped music through place: to play prerecorded music in a public place or workplace to create a soothing atmosphere

5. vt signal something using pipe: to signal the arrival or departure of somebody or something using a pipe

6. vt order crew using boatswain's pipe: to give orders to a ship's crew using a boatswain's pipe

7. vt decorate garment with piping: to add decorative piping to a garment

8. vt decorate food with piping: to add decorative piping to food, especially by forcing it out of a bag that has a nozzle designed to create the various decorative forms

9. vti make high-pitched noise: to make a high-pitched or shrill noise, or speak or say something in a squeaky voice

[ Old English pīpe , via Germanic < assumed Vulgar Latin pipa < Latin pipare "to peep, cheep," an imitation of the sound]

-pipe·ful, , n

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Answer 26

they are interchangeable