— streamless , adj. — streamlike , adj.
/streem/ , n.
1. a body of water flowing in a channel or watercourse, as a river, rivulet, or brook.
2. a steady current in water, as in a river or the ocean: to row against the stream; the Gulf Stream.
3. any flow of water or other liquid or fluid: streams of blood.
4. a current or flow of air, gas, or the like.
5. a beam or trail of light: A stream of moonlight fell from the clouds.
6. a continuous flow or succession of anything: a stream of words.
7. prevailing direction; drift: the stream of opinion.
8. on stream , in or into operation: The factory will be on stream in a month.
v.i.
9. to flow, pass, or issue in a stream, as water, tears, or blood.
10. to send forth or throw off a stream; run or flow (often fol. by with ): eyes streaming with tears.
11. to extend in a beam or in rays, as light: Sunlight streamed in through the windows.
12. to move or proceed continuously like a flowing stream, as a procession.
13. to wave or float outward, as a flag in the wind.
14. to hang in a loose, flowing manner, as long hair.
v.t.
15. to send forth or discharge in a stream: The wound streamed blood.
16. to cause to stream or float outward, as a flag.
17. Naut. to place (an object) in the water at the end of a line attached to a vessel.
[ bef. 900; (n.) ME streem, OE stream; c. G Strom, ON straumr; akin to Gk rheîn to flow (see RHEUM); (v.) ME streamen, deriv. of the n. ]
Syn. 1. rill, run, streamlet, runnel. STREAM, CURRENT refer to a steady flow. In this use they are interchangeable. In the sense of running water, however, a STREAM is a flow that may be as small as a brook or as large as a river: A number of streams have their sources in mountains. CURRENT refers to the most rapidly moving part of the stream: This river has a swift current. 2. flow, tide. 6. torrent, rush. 9. pour.