flow
part of speech
verb (flow, flows, flowed, flowing); noun (flow — uncountable; a flow)
meaning for a pupil
1) Of a liquid, gas or electricity: to move along smoothly and steadily in one direction. tree →
2) Of people, traffic or ideas: to move or come continuously: «The traffic flowed smoothly». tree →
3) Of hair or clothes: to hang down loosely. tree →
4) A noun: a steady movement of something: the flow of a river, a flow of air. tree →
5) Of speech or writing: to sound smooth and natural. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Laws in Leviticus say a person with such a flow is unclean until evening and must bathe. Interpretation: Tradition reads these laws as about ritual purity, not about being dirty or sinful. Washing in water makes a person clean again. In the primary lessons: In science: liquids flow, solids don't (they keep their shape); water flows downhill because of gravity; rivers flow to the sea; electricity flows round a complete circuit; blood flows through veins and arteries; lava flows from volcanoes; flow charts in maths and computing. In safety: fast-flowing rivers are dangerous — never swim in them. Phrases: flow into, flow out, flow downhill, go with the flow, flow chart, blood flow, lava flow, ebb and flow.
examples
- And whoso toucheth any one that is unclean by the dead; or from whomsoever the flow of seed goeth out; (Torah LEV.22.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the flow of seed, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. (Torah LEV.15.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- And if the flow of seed go out from a man, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. (Torah LEV.15.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- Waters flowed over my head; I said: 'I am cut off.' (Writings LAM.3.54, JPS 1917) tree →
- The increase of his house shall depart, his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. (Writings JOB.20.28, JPS 1917) tree →
- He sendeth forth His word, and melteth them; He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow. (Writings PSA.147.18, JPS 1917) tree →
- Rivers flow into the sea. tree →
- Water flows downhill. tree →
- Liquids can flow, but solids keep their shape. tree →
- Electricity flows through the wires when the circuit is complete. tree →
- Don't swim in fast-flowing water. tree →
- Blood flows around your body. tree →
- Her long hair flowed down her back. tree →
- Make a flow chart to show the steps. tree →
- In and out of it flowed water like attar. tree →
note
Regular verb: flowed. Don't confuse «flowed» (from flow) with «flown» (from fly) or «floor». «Go with the flow» = relax and accept what happens.
In the corpora
- And whoso toucheth any one that is unclean by the dead; or from whomsoever the flow of seed goeth out;
- And He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
- Doth the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or are the strange cold flowing waters plucked up?
- and gavest them this land, which Thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
- Thou didst cleave fountain and brook; Thou driedst up ever-flowing rivers.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «flow» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.