What does blowtube mean?
A blowtube is a straight, typically hollow tube — made of wood, bamboo, or metal — through which a small projectile such as a dart or pellet is launched by the force of a person's breath. It is essentially another name for a blowgun or blowpipe, weapons traditionally used by indigenous peoples in the Amazon basin, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere for hunting small game silently and accurately. Beyond weaponry, the term also describes a pipe used to direct forced air, such as the tube a glassblower uses to shape molten glass or a bellows pipe used to stoke a furnace. The word connotes traditional craftsmanship and pre-industrial technology rather than modern equipment. While 'blowgun' has become the dominant everyday term, especially in American usage, 'blowtube' remains current in technical, historical, and craft writing, where it often refers specifically to the physical tube itself rather than the weapon as a whole.
A long tube through which a dart or pellet is propelled by a person's breath; a blowgun.
"He crafted a blowtube from a length of hollowed hardwood and practised hitting targets across the garden."
Often interchangeable with 'blowgun' and 'blowpipe', though some writers reserve 'blowpipe' for the metallurgical tool.
A pipe used to direct a stream of air, especially one through which molten glass is gathered and shaped, or one used to feed air into a flame.
"The glassworker rotated the blowtube steadily to keep the molten gather symmetrical."
Standard plural formation; no irregular forms exist.
"The museum's collection includes blowtubes from several Amazonian cultures."
Long before firearms, hunters across the Amazon and Southeast Asia were dropping prey silently from the treetops using nothing more than a hollowed-out wooden blowtube and a poison-tipped dart.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blowtube
The word 'blowtube' is a straightforward English compound formed from the verb 'blow' (from Old English blāwan) and 'tube' (borrowed from Latin tubus, meaning pipe). It emerged as an English term during the period of European exploration and colonial contact, when travelers documented the breathing weapons encountered among indigenous peoples of South America and Asia. Its components share roots with many common words: 'blow' connects to blast and inflate via Germanic origins, while 'tube' links it to words like tubular and tuba through Latin.
How blowtube is actually used
The word is somewhat less common than its synonyms 'blowgun' and 'blowpipe' in modern American English; it appears most frequently in anthropological, historical, and craft contexts.
Easily confused with blowtube
A bellows is a device that pumps air mechanically by expansion and contraction, whereas a blowtube directs a person's own breath through a simple tube.