flow

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Movement in people or things characterized with a continuous motion, involving either a non solid mass or a multitude.
2. (countable, uncountable) The movement of a real or figurative fluid.
3. (countable, uncountable) A formalization of the idea of the motion of particles in a fluid, as a group action of the real numbers on a set.
4. (countable, uncountable) The rising movement of the tide.
5. (countable, uncountable) Smoothness or continuity.
6. (countable, uncountable) The amount of a fluid that moves or the rate of fluid movement.
7. (countable, uncountable) A flow pipe, carrying liquid away from a boiler or other central plant (compare with return pipe which returns fluid to central plant).
8. (countable, uncountable) A mental state characterized by concentration, focus and enjoyment of a given task.
9. (countable, uncountable) The emission of blood during menstruation.
10. (countable, uncountable) The ability to skilfully rap along to a beat.
11. (countable, uncountable) The sequence of steps taken in a piece of software to perform some action.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To move as a fluid from one position to another.
2. (intransitive) To proceed; to issue forth; to emanate.
3. (intransitive) To move or match smoothly, gracefully, or continuously.
4. (intransitive) To have or be in abundance; to abound, so as to run or flow over.
5. (intransitive) To hang loosely and wave.
6. (intransitive) To rise, as the tide; opposed to ebb.
7. (transitive) To arrange (text in a wordprocessor, etc.) so that it wraps neatly into a designated space; to reflow.
8. (transitive) To allow (a liquid) to flow.
9. (transitive) To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.
10. (transitive) To cover with varnish.
11. (intransitive) To discharge excessive blood from the uterus.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fləʊ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: flowe

Inherited from Middle English: flowen

Inherited from Old English: flōwan

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: flouje

Cognate with Western Frisian: floeie

Cognate with Dutch: vloeien

Cognate with Norwegian: flo

Cognate with English: float

Cognate with Old Norse: flói

Cognate with Scots: flow

Cognate with Icelandic: flói

In summary

From Middle English flowe, from the verb (see below). The psychology sense “state of focus” was coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975.

Synonyms

stream

current

run

pour

flood

flux

course

gush

trickle

drift

ooze

tide

flowing

leak

overflow

outflow

go

rush

circulate

drip

feed

move

drop

roll

spill

rise

river

exude

fall

spout

watercourse

pass

period

ooze out

menstruum

empty

menses

rising tide

influx

hang

spread

jet

spurt

catamenia

distil

high tide

flow rate

rivulet

menstruate

menstruation

Translations

couler

fließen

fluir

flux

scorrere

fluire

vloeien

fluir

fluxo

strömen

flusso

correr

stromen

écoulement

courant