- flow
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—flowable, adj. —flowability, n./floh/, v.i.1. to move along in a stream: The river flowed slowly to the sea.2. to circulate: blood flowing through one's veins.3. to stream or well forth: Warmth flows from the sun.4. to issue or proceed from a source: Orders flowed from the office.5. to menstruate.6. to come or go as in a stream: A constant stream of humanity flowed by.7. to proceed continuously and smoothly: Melody flowed from the violin.8. to hang loosely at full length: Her hair flowed over her shoulders.9. to abound in something: The tavern flowed with wine.10. to rise and advance, as the tide (opposed to ebb).v.t.11. to cause or permit to flow: to flow paint on a wall before brushing.12. to cover with water or other liquid; flood.n.13. an act of flowing.14. movement in or as if in a stream.15. the rate of flowing.16. the volume of fluid that flows through a passage of any given section during a unit of time: Oil flow of the well was 500 barrels a day.17. something that flows; stream.18. an outpouring or discharge of something, as in a stream: a flow of blood.19. menstruation.20. an overflowing; flood.21. the rise of the tide (opposed to ebb).22. Mach. progressive distortion of a metal object under continuous service at high temperature.23. Physics. the transference of energy: heat flow.[bef. 900; (v.) ME flowen, OE flowan; akin to MLG vloien, ON floa; (n.) late ME: surge of a wave, deriv. of the v.]Syn. 1. FLOW, GUSH, SPOUT, SPURT refer to certain of the movements characteristic of fluids. FLOW is the general term: Water flows. A stream of blood flows. To GUSH is to rush forth copiously from a cavity, in as large a volume as can issue therefrom, as the result of some strong impelling force: The water will gush out if the main breaks.SPOUT and SPURT both imply the ejecting of a liquid from a cavity by some internal impetus given to it. SPOUT implies a rather steady, possibly well-defined, jet or stream, not necessarily of long duration but always of considerable force: A whale spouts. SPURT implies a forcible, possibly sudden, spasmodic, or intermittent issue or jet: The liquid spurted out suddenly when the bottle cap was pushed in. SPOUT applies only to liquids; the other terms apply also to gases. 7. run. 9. teem.
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Universalium. 2010.
