"flow" definition, meaning, and origin

Noun

Movement in people or things characterized with a continuous motion, involving either a non solid mass or a multitude.
The movement of a real or figurative fluid.
- Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a...
A formalization of the idea of the motion of particles in a fluid, as a group action of the real numbers on a set.
- The notion of flow is basic to the study of ordinary differential equations.
The rising movement of the tide.
Smoothness or continuity.
- The room was small, but it had good symmetry and flow.
The amount of a fluid that moves or the rate of fluid movement.
- Turn on the valve and make sure you have sufficient flow.
- Other devices measure water flow in streams fed by melted ice.
A flow pipe, carrying liquid away from a boiler or other central plant (compare with return pipe which returns fluid to central plant).
A mental state characterized by concentration, focus, and enjoyment of a given task.
- The point about flow is that it is enjoyable. As research has shown "the more often athletes experienced flow, the happier they were." But the second is that entering flow actually improves performance. - 2014 January...
The emission of blood during menstruation.
- Tampons can be small or large, slender or thick. From “slender” to “super”, you can pick the size that matches your flow.
The ability to skillfully rap along to a beat.
- The production on his new mixtape is mediocre but his flow is on point.
- Now shawty said she feelin' my style, she feelin' my flow […] / My flow, my show brought me the dough / That bought me all my fancy things - 2003, “In da Club”, in Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent:
The sequence of steps taken in a piece of software to perform some action.
- login flow
- search flow
- I'm setting up event tracking for a pretty standard, multi-step signup flow, and I'm wondering [...] - 2015, Dan, “Best practices for tracking progress through a sign up flow”, in snowplow-user mailing list:

Origin

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

Noun Scotland

A bog or mire, especially a rough, waterlogged one.
- […] there are other extensive mosses in this district, commonly called flowes, which it is not probable ever will, or ever can be, converted into arable land. Some of these flowes are found to be 20, 25, or 30 feet...
- Ye'll stick in some flow, Or, ye'll melt in a thow - 1871, Alexander Boswell, Poetical Works, page 213:
- Had been roughly laid with bog-wood dug from the flowes, - 1895, Crockett, Moss-Hags page xlii

Origin

Uncertain. Perhaps from Old Norse flói (“a large bay, firth”), see floe. Compare Scots flow (“peat-bog, marsh”), Icelandic flói (“marshy ground”).

Forms

flows

Derived

flow-bog flow-moss

Verb

To move as a fluid from one position to another.
- Rivers flow from springs and lakes.
- Tears flow from the eyes.
- Wrex: I need to get my blood flowing. Find me something to kill! - 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC:
To proceed; to issue forth; to emanate.
- Wealth flows from industry and economy.
- Thoſe thouſand decencies that daily flow ¶ From all her words and actions, mixt with Love - 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […];...
To move or match smoothly, gracefully, or continuously.
- The writing is grammatically correct, but it just doesn't flow.
- […]Virgil,[…]is[…]ſweet and flowing in his Hexameters. - 1697, Virgil, “Dedication”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […],...
To have or be in abundance; to abound, so as to run or flow over.
- […]in that day, that[…]the hils ſhall flow with milke,[…]a fountaine ſhall come forth of the houſe of the Lord,[…] - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joel 3:18–18,...
- the exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl - 1844, John Wilson, Essay on the Genius, and Character of Burns:
To hang loosely and wave.
- a flowing mantle
- flowing locks
- […]the imperial purple flowing in his train. - 1788, Publius [pseudonym; Alexander Hamilton], “Number LXVII. Concerning the Conſtitution of the Preſident: A groſs Attempt to miſrepreſent this Part of the Plan...
To rise, as the tide; opposed to ebb.
- The tide flows twice in twenty-four hours.
- The Riuer hath thrice flow’d, no ebbe betweene: - c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […]...
Synonyms: come in come up
To arrange (text in a wordprocessor, etc.) so that it wraps neatly into a designated space; to reflow.
To allow (a liquid) to flow.
- The action is usually progressive, and as a certain amount of oil is flowed from the tubing it lowers the pressure on the remaining oil and liberates more gas, thus causing additional oil to flow from the tubing. -...
To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.
To cover with varnish.
To discharge excessive blood from the uterus.

Origin

From Middle English flowen, from Old English flōwan (“to flow”), from Proto-West Germanic *flōan, from Proto-Germanic *flōaną (“to flow”), from Proto-Indo-European *plōw-, lengthened o-grade form of *plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian flouje (“to flow”), West Frisian floeie (“to flow”), Dutch vloeien (“to flow”), Norwegian flo (“to flow”). Compare also English float. Not cognate with Latin fluō despite similarity.