— 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.