Flowy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfləʊi/

Definitions

1. Exhibiting a loose and graceful silhouette that promotes freedom of movement
2. Defined by a soft and elegant appearance that enhances the fluidity in how it hangs and moves
3. Characterized by a light and unrestricted design that allows for ease and fluidity in motion

Etymology: "Flowy" is about as plain as English compounds get: the noun-turned-verb "flow" with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" attached, meaning "full of or characterised by flow." The suffix "-y" has been doing this job since Old English, when it turned nouns like "wind" and "rain" into "windy" and "rainy," so "flowy" follows an ordinary pattern rather than a special story. What is worth noticing is the way the suffix is used here. "-y" most often gives a word a quality it simply possesses, as with "sandy" or "milky." "Flowy" instead describes how a fabric or a line of movement behaves, a sense the bare word "flow" carries only loosely. The result is a descriptive term for garments and hair, where the material seems to move on its own, rather than a term for a liquid.

Synonyms: flowing, smooth, fluid, elegant, graceful

Antonyms: stiff, rigid, rough, awkward, clumsy