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effluent

[ ef-loo-uhnt ]
/ ˈɛf lu ənt /
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adjective
flowing out or forth.
noun
something that flows out or forth; outflow; effluence.
a stream flowing out of a lake, reservoir, etc.
sewage that has been treated in a septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
sewage or other liquid waste that is discharged into a body of water, etc.
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Origin of effluent

1720–30; <Latin effluent- (stem of effluēns flowing out, present participle of effluere), equivalent to ef-ef- + flu- flow + -ent--ent

OTHER WORDS FROM effluent

su·per·ef·flu·ent, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use effluent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for effluent

effluent
/ (ˈɛflʊənt) /

noun
liquid discharged as waste, as from an industrial plant or sewage works
radioactive waste released from a nuclear power station
a stream that flows out of another body of water
something that flows out or forth
adjective
flowing out or forth

Word Origin for effluent

C18: from Latin effluere to run forth, from fluere to flow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for effluent

effluent
[ ĕflōō-ənt ]

Adjective
Flowing out or forth.
Noun
A stream flowing out of a body of water.
An outflow or discharge of liquid waste, as from a sewage system, factory, or nuclear plant.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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