flow

Meaning

Noun

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

Verb

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

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fləʊ/

Etymology

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