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flux

[fluhks]
||
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noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

to flow.

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RELATED WORDS

fluidity, fluctuation, transition, flow, alteration, motion, unrest, mutation, modification, instability, change, mutability

Nearby words

  1. fluvial,
  2. fluviatile,
  3. fluviomarine,
  4. fluvioterrestrial,
  5. fluvoxamine,
  6. flux density,
  7. flux gate,
  8. flux linkage,
  9. flux, magnetic,
  10. fluxion

Origin of flux

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin fluxus a flowing, equivalent to fluc-, variant stem of fluere to flow + -tus suffix of v. action, with ct > x
Related formsnon·flux, nounsu·per·flux, nountrans·flux, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flux

British Dictionary definitions for flux

flux

noun

a flow or discharge
continuous change; instability
a substance, such as borax or salt, that gives a low melting-point mixture with a metal oxide. It is used for cleaning metal surfaces during soldering, etc, and for protecting the surfaces of liquid metals
metallurgy a chemical used to increase the fluidity of refining slags in order to promote the rate of chemical reaction
a similar substance used in the making of glass
physics
  1. the rate of flow of particles, energy, or a fluid, through a specified area, such as that of neutrons (neutron flux) or of light energy (luminous flux)
  2. the strength of a field in a given area expressed as the product of the area and the component of the field strength at right angles to the areamagnetic flux; electric flux
pathol an excessive discharge of fluid from the body, such as watery faeces in diarrhoea
the act or process of melting; fusion
(in the philosophy of Heraclitus) the state of constant change in which all things exist

verb

to make or become fluid
(tr) to apply flux to (a metal, soldered joint, etc)
(tr) an obsolete word for purge

Word Origin for flux

C14: from Latin fluxus a flow, 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
Word Origin and History for flux

flux

n.

late 14c., from Old French flus "flowing, rolling, bleeding," or directly from Latin fluxus "flowing, loose, slack," past participle of fluere "to flow" (see fluent). Originally "excessive flow" (of blood or excrement); an early name for "dysentery;" sense of "continuous succession of changes" is first recorded 1620s. The verb is early 15c., from the noun.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for flux

flux

[flŭks]

n.

The discharge of large quantities of fluid material from the body, especially the discharge of watery feces from the intestines.
Material thus discharged from the bowels.
The rate of flow of fluid, particles, or energy through a given surface.
Flux density.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for flux

flux

[flŭks]

The rate of flow of fluids, particles, or energy across a given surface or area.
The presence of a field of force in a region of space, represented as a set of lines indicating the direction of the force. The density of the lines indicates the strength of the force. Lines used to represent magnetic fields in depictions of magnets, for example, follow the lines of flux of the field. See also field magnetic flux.
A measure of the strength of such a field.
A readily fusible glass or enamel used as a base in ceramic work.
An additive that improves the flow of plastics during fabrication.
A substance applied to a surface to be joined by welding, soldering, or brazing to facilitate the flowing of solder and prevent formation of oxides.
A substance used in a smelting furnace to make metals melt more easily.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.