Streamers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Long, narrow strips of material used for decoration, often at parties or celebrations ; individuals who transmit live video or audio over the internet to an audience
2. Colorful bands or ribbons employed as ornamental decorations ; persons who share realtime audiovisual content online, especially in gaming or social media
3. Thin pieces of paper or fabric that add festivity to events ; users who create and share live broadcasts of themselves playing games or performing activities for viewers

Etymology: "Streamers" is the plural of "streamer," which came into English from Middle English "stremer" and "stremere," formed from "stream" with the agent suffix "-er." The original sense was simply something that streams: a flag or pennant that flutters in the wind, the long strip of cloth that trails out behind it. Ships and armies carried such banners, and the image of fabric streaming in a breeze is what the word first named. The sense of a ribbon used as decoration grew naturally from that idea. A strip of paper or silk hung loose and fluttering reads as a streamer, whether it marks a parade, a party, or a festive hall. The gaming and social media sense is a much later extension. It borrows the image of a continuous flow: a person whose live broadcast streams out to viewers in real time, like a flag caught in the wind.

Synonyms: banners, ribbons, decorations, flags, tapes

Antonyms: plainness, baldness, simplicity, minimalism, understatement