Flows

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /fləʊz/

Definitions

1. Moves smoothly and continuously, resembling the movement of a liquid ; proceeds steadily without interruption or hesitation
2. Refers to motion that resembles pouring or streaming like a fluid ; describes something occurring in an unbroken, constant manner
3. Indicates a gentle, uninterrupted movement as liquids do ; characterizes a consistent and ongoing progression or circulation

Etymology: This is an inflected form: the third-person singular present of "flow". The verb itself descends from Old English "flōwan", which meant to flow or to run like water, and it traces back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root "plew-", meaning to fly, flow or run. English "float" is a relative, sharing that ancient ancestry. The most surprising twist is what this family of words is not. Despite looking like Latin "fluere", which gives English "fluid" and "fluent", the Germanic verb is not related to it. The resemblance is pure coincidence, and the two lines of descent were never connected.

Synonyms: streams, currents, runs, drifts, washes

Antonyms: stagnates, pools, stops, ceases, remains