/ fluːm; NAmE / noun
1.
a narrow channel made to carry water for use in industry
2.
a water chute (= a tube for sliding down) at an amusement park or a swimming pool
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting a river or stream): from Old French flum , from Latin flumen river, from fluere to flow. The sense artificial channel dates from the mid 18th cent.; water chute for amusement is a late 20th-cent. usage.