passage definition - Dictionary

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passage (1)

pas·sage [ pássij ]

noun (plural pas·sag·es)

Definition:

1. corridor or pathway: a corridor in an enclosed area or a path enclosed on both sides

an underground passage

2. way through: a path made for somebody through an obstruction such as a crowd of people

3. piece of writing or music: a section of a piece of writing, speech, or music, or a section of a painting or piece of artwork

4. change of place or condition: the act of going from one place to another or changing from one condition to another ( formal )

the team responsible for easing the passage of the new President-elect into power

5. process of time passing: the process in which time goes by

the passage of time

6. trip: a journey, especially one made by sea or air

7. fact of traveling: the fact of traveling to a place or of being allowed to enter or pass through it

The guides ensured our safe passage.

8. approval of new law: official approval of a new law or other proposal

9. tube in body: a tube or channel in the body

10. sea channel: a sea channel or strait ( often used in place names )

11. bowel movement: the act or process of expelling something from the body, e.g. emptying the bowels or the bladder

12. interchange: an exchange of words, blows, or information between people or parties ( formal )

13. [ pa s ] biotechnology biological technique: the technique of introducing a microorganism or cell into a host organism or culture medium as part of the process of maintaining or modifying it

transitive verb (past and past participle pas·saged, present participle pas·sag·ing, 3rd person present singular pas·sag·es) [ pa s ]

Definition:

biotechnology transfer biological material: to use the biological technique of passage to introduce a microorganism or cell

[13th century. < French passer (see pass)]

Cultural Note


	A Passage to India, a novel (1924) by the British writer E. M. Forster. In Forster's last and most highly regarded novel, an Englishwoman traveling in colonial India accuses a local doctor of assaulting her during a visit to the mysterious Marabar Caves. The conflicting responses of English expatriates and local Indians to the subsequent trial highlight the limitations of their belief systems and the problems of human understanding.