Flushings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sudden wave of redness on the skin due to various causes, such as embarrassment or heat
2. the act of causing a flow or surge, often relating to fluids or emotions
3. periodic or sudden bursts of feelings or sensations, especially of warmth or excitement

Etymology: A flush of heat to the face is the root of this word. "Flushing" was formed in Middle English from "flush," which carried the older sense of a sudden rush of liquid, and the suffix "-ing" turned that rush into a noun. The plural "flushings" counts separate surges of warmth, excitement or sensation. A different noun spelled the same way has a geographic origin. A "flushing" was also a kind of woolen cloth, named after the Dutch town of Flushing ("Vlissingen"), where the wool was made. That cloth sense is unrelated to the bodily one.

Synonyms: blushes, reddenings, flushing, glows, floridnesses