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flow (v.)

Old English flowan "to flow, stream, issue; become liquid, melt; abound, overflow" (class VII strong verb; past tense fleow, past participle flowen), from Proto-Germanic *flowan "to flow" (source also of Middle Dutch vloyen, Dutch vloeien, vloeijen "to flow," Old Norse floa "to deluge," Old High German flouwen "to rinse, wash"), from PIE root *pleu- "to flow." The weak form predominated from 14c., but strong past participle flown is occasionally attested through 18c. Related: Flowed; flowing.

flow (n.)

mid-15c., "action of flowing," from flow (v.). Meaning "amount that flows" is from 1807. Sense of "any strong, progressive movement comparable to the flow of a river" is from 1640s. Flow chart attested from 1920 (flow-sheet in same sense from 1912). To go with the flow is by 1977, apparently originally in skiing jargon.

Go with the flow, enjoy the forces, let ankles, knees, hips and waist move subtly to soak up potential disturbances of acceleration and deceleration. [Ski magazine, November 1980]

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Definitions of flow from WordNet
1
flow (v.)
move or progress freely as if in a stream;
The crowd flowed out of the stadium
Synonyms: flux
flow (v.)
move along, of liquids;
Water flowed into the cave
Synonyms: run / feed / course
flow (v.)
cause to flow;
The artist flowed the washes on the paper
flow (v.)
be abundantly present;
The champagne flowed at the wedding
flow (v.)
fall or flow in a certain way;
Her long black hair flowed down her back
Synonyms: hang / fall
flow (v.)
cover or swamp with water;
flow (v.)
undergo menstruation;
Synonyms: menstruate
2
flow (n.)
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases);
Synonyms: flowing
flow (n.)
the amount of fluid that flows in a given time;
Synonyms: flow rate / rate of flow
flow (n.)
the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression;
Synonyms: stream
flow (n.)
any uninterrupted stream or discharge;
flow (n.)
something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously;
the museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors
Synonyms: stream
flow (n.)
dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas;
the flow of thought
Synonyms: stream / current
flow (n.)
the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause; "a woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped"--Hippocrates; "the semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females"--Aristotle;
Synonyms: menstruation / menses / menstruum / catamenia / period
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near flow

flounder

flour

flourish

flourishing

flout

flow

flower

flower-pot

flowery

flown

Floyd

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