Petcock

//ˈpɛtkɒk// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A small valve, spout, or faucet operated by hand, usually used to release pressure or drain fluid.

    "The doctor placed the rubber mask over her face and turned a dial and I watched Catherine breathing deeply and rapidly. Then she pushed the mask away. The doctor shut off the petcock."

  2. 2
    regulator consisting of a small cock or faucet or valve for letting out air or releasing compression or draining wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
cockfaucetgatehydrantsea cockspigot

Example

More examples

"The doctor placed the rubber mask over her face and turned a dial and I watched Catherine breathing deeply and rapidly. Then she pushed the mask away. The doctor shut off the petcock."

Etymology

Apparently from pet + cock, because of its size.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.