Influx

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɪnˌflʌks/

Definitions

1. A large arrival or inflow of people, things, or resources into a place or system
2. A substantial flow or arrival of individuals, items, or materials into a particular location or system occurs
3. The significant increase or introduction of people, goods, or resources into a specific area or structure takes place

Etymology: Before it meant a sudden arrival of people, money or goods, "influx" was a physical image: something flowing into a place. The Latin "influxus" is a noun built from "influere," "to flow or run into," which combines "in-" ("into") with "fluere" ("to flow"). The same Latin root gave English "fluent," "fluid" and "flux," so "influx" belongs to a large family of words about movement and liquid. The Latin "influxus" already carried the sense "inflow" and, in later Latin, "influence," so the word's core idea of something pouring in from outside was present from the start. English took the term over from Latin, and it has kept its literal sense of a current running in, now applied to crowds, capital and ideas as readily as to water.

Synonyms: inflow, arrival, inpouring

Antonyms: outflow, exodus