fluid
UK /ˈfluːɪd/ · US /ˈflu.ɪd/ noun, adjective
Forms fluids
- noun Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma.
- noun A liquid (as opposed to a solid or gas).
- noun (specifically, medicine, colloquial, typically in the plural) Intravenous fluids.
- adjective (not comparable) Of or relating to fluid.
- adjective In a state of flux; subject to change.
- adjective Moving smoothly, or giving the impression of a liquid in motion.
- adjective (of an asset) Convertible into cash.
- adjective (rare) Genderfluid.
Synonyms
fluidical unstable fluent liquid variable fluxive runny smooth mobile
Etymology
From Middle English fluid, from Latin fluidus (“flowing; fluid”), from Latin fluō (“to flow”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell; surge; overflow; run”). Akin to Ancient Greek φλύειν (phlúein, “to swell; overflow”). Not related to English flow, which is a native, inherited word from *plew-, but is distantly related from English bleat.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Having particles which easily move and change their relative position without a separation of the mass, and which easily yield to pressure; capable of flowing; liquid or gaseous.
- noun A fluid substance; a body whose particles move easily among themselves.
Etymology [L. fluidus, fr. fluere to flow: cf. F. fluide. See Fluent.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fluid”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details