Streamlike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a form or appearance that mimics flowing water
2. Having a shape or form that suggests the flowing movement of a stream
3. Appearing or shaped similarly to a narrow, moving body of water

Etymology: "Streamlike" is a plain compound: "stream," an Old English word for a flowing body of water, joined to the suffix "-like," which attaches a sense of resemblance to a noun or adjective. Put together, the word describes something that resembles a stream in its form or movement, such as a sleek, flowing shape or a line that looks like running water. The suffix is the more productive half. "-like" has been used this way in English for centuries to build adjectives from nouns, so "streamlike" follows a pattern that speakers can apply to countless nouns, from "childlike" to "crystal-like." The word therefore needs no special coinage or famous first user; its meaning can be read directly from its two parts.

Synonyms: flowing, current-like, riverine, fluid, wavy

Antonyms: static, still, stationary, fixed, stagnant