valve

Noun

• one of the paired hinged shells of certain molluscs and of brachiopods

• the entire one-piece shell of a snail and certain other molluscs

• control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid

• device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone

• a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it