flow

Etymology 1

From Middle English flowe, from the verb (see below). The psychology sense “state of focus” was coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975.

noun

1. Movement in people or things characterized with a continuous motion, involving either a non solid mass or a multitude.
2. The movement of a real or figurative fluid.
3. (mathematics) A formalization of the idea of the motion of particles in a fluid, as a group action of the real numbers on a set.
   The notion of flow is basic to the study of ordinary differential equations.
4. The rising movement of the tide.
5. Smoothness or continuity.
   The room was small, but it had good symmetry and flow.
6. The amount of a fluid that moves or the rate of fluid movement.
   Turn on the valve and make sure you have sufficient flow.
   Other devices measure water flow in streams fed by melted ice.
7. A flow pipe, carrying liquid away from a boiler or other central plant (compare with return pipe which returns fluid to central plant).
8. (psychology) A mental state characterized by concentration, focus and enjoyment of a given task.
   The point about flow is that it is enjoyable. As research has shown "the more often athletes experienced flow, the happier they were." But the second is that entering flow actually improves performance. 2014-01-14, Alex Lockwood, “How to achieve a state of flow when running”, in The Guardian
9. The emission of blood during menstruation.
   Tampons can be small or large, slender or thick. From “slender” to “super”, you can pick the size that matches your flow.
10. (rap music slang) The ability to skilfully rap along to a beat.
    The production on his new mixtape is mediocre but his flow is on point.
    Now shawty said she feelin' my style, she feelin' my flow […] / My flow, my show brought me the dough / That bought me all my fancy things 2003, “In da Club”, in Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent
11. (software) The sequence of steps taken in a piece of software to perform some action.
    login flow
    search flow
    I'm setting up event tracking for a pretty standard, multi-step signup flow, and I'm wondering … 2015, Dan, “Best practices for tracking progress through a sign up flow”, in snowplow-user mailing list

Etymology 2

From Middle English flowen, from Old English flōwan (“to flow”), from Proto-West Germanic *flōan, from Proto-Germanic *flōaną (“to flow”), from Proto-Indo-European *plōw-, lengthened o-grade form of *plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian flouje (“to flow”), West Frisian floeie (“to flow”), Dutch vloeien (“to flow”), Norwegian flo (“to flow”). Compare also English float. Not cognate with Latin fluō despite similarity.

verb

1. (intransitive) To move as a fluid from one position to another.
   Rivers flow from springs and lakes.
   Tears flow from the eyes.
   Wrex: I need to get my blood flowing. Find me something to kill! 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC
2. (intransitive) To proceed; to issue forth.
   Wealth flows from industry and economy.
3. (intransitive) To move or match smoothly, gracefully, or continuously.
   The writing is grammatically correct, but it just doesn't flow.
4. (intransitive) To have or be in abundance; to abound, so as to run or flow over.
   the exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl 1845, John Wilson, The Genius and Character of Robert Burns
5. (intransitive) To hang loosely and wave.
   a flowing mantle
   flowing locks
6. (intransitive) To rise, as the tide; opposed to ebb.
   The tide flows twice in twenty-four hours.
   come in come up
7. (transitive, computing) To arrange (text in a wordprocessor, etc.) so that it wraps neatly into a designated space; to reflow.
8. (transitive) To allow (a liquid) to flow.
   The action is usually progressive, and as a certain amount of oil is flowed from the tubing it lowers the pressure on the remaining oil and liberates more gas, thus causing additional oil to flow from the tubing. 1932, Carl Ernest Reistle, Paraffin and Congealing-Oil Problems, volumes 340-349, page 45
9. (transitive) To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.
10. (transitive) To cover with varnish.
11. (intransitive) To discharge excessive blood from the uterus.

Etymology 3

Uncertain. Perhaps from Old Norse flói (“a large bay, firth”), see floe. Compare Scots flow (“peat-bog, marsh”), Icelandic flói (“marshy ground”).

noun

1. (Scotland) A morass or marsh.