Consulting the Dictionary

FLOW

–verb (used without object)

1.	to move along in a stream: The river flowed slowly to the sea.

2.	to circulate: blood flowing through one's veins.

3.	to stream or well forth: Warmth flows from the sun.

4.	to issue or proceed from a source: Orders flowed from the office.

5.	to menstruate.

6.	to come or go as in a stream: A constant stream of humanity flowed by.

7.	to proceed continuously and smoothly: Melody flowed from the violin.

8.	to hang loosely at full length: Her hair flowed over her shoulders.

9.	to abound in something: The tavern flowed with wine.

10.	to rise and advance, as the tide (opposed to EBB).

–verb (used with object)

11.	to cause or permit to flow: to flow paint on a wall before brushing.

12.	to cover with water or other liquid; flood.

–noun

13.	an act of flowing.

14.	movement in or as if in a stream.

15.	the rate of flowing.

16.	the volume of fluid that flows through a passage of any given section during a unit of time: Oil flow of the well was 500 barrels a day.

17.	something that flows; stream.

18.	an outpouring or discharge of something, as in a stream: a flow of blood.

19. Menstruation

20.	an overflowing; flood.

21.	the rise of the tide (opposed to EBB).

22.	Machinery. progressive distortion of a metal object under continuous service at high temperature.

23.	Physics. the transference of energy: heat flow .

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[Origin: bef. 900; (v.) ME flowen, OE flōwan; akin to MLG vlōien, ON flōa; (n.) late ME: surge of a wave, deriv. of the v.]

—Related forms

flow·a·ble, adjective

flow·a·bil·i·ty, noun

—Synonyms 1. Flow, gush, spout, spurt refer to certain of the movements characteristic of fluids. Flow is the general term: Water flows. A stream of blood flows. To gush is to rush forth copiously from a cavity, in as large a volume as can issue therefrom, as the result of some strong impelling force: The water will gush out if the main breaks. Spout and spurt both imply the ejecting of a liquid from a cavity by some internal impetus given to it. Spout implies a rather steady, possibly well-defined, jet or stream, not necessarily of long duration but always of considerable force: A whale spouts. Spurt implies a forcible, possibly sudden, spasmodic, or intermittent issue or jet: The liquid spurted out suddenly when the bottle cap was pushed in. Spout applies only to liquids; the other terms apply also to gases. 7. run. 9. teem.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Poetry: Lucille Clifton

wishes for sons

by Lucille Clifton

i wish them cramps.

i wish them a strange town

and the last tampon.

i wish them no 7-11.

i wish them one week early

and wearing a white skirt.

i wish them one week late.

later i wish them hot flashes

and clots like you

wouldn't believe. let the

flashes come when they

meet someone special.

let the clots come

when they want to.

let them think they have accepted

arrogance in the universe,

then bring them to gynecologists

not unlike themselves.