Plain English Meaning

When air flows through a narrow spot, it speeds up and its pressure drops. The tighter the squeeze, the faster the flow and the lower the pressure at that point.

Full Definition

The drop in pressure that occurs when a moving fluid (such as air) passes through a narrowed section of a passage. As the fluid speeds up to get through the constriction, its static pressure falls.

Context Anchor

Seen in instrument-system discussions, especially when an alternate static source uses cabin air instead of the normal outside pressure source.

Derivation

Named after Giovanni Battista Venturi, an 18th-century Italian physicist who studied how fluids behave when forced through a constriction. Knowing it's a person's name, not a Latin term, helps avoid hunting for a hidden meaning in the word.