Flowing

How to spell flowing

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce flowing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does flowing mean?

1. adjectiveMoving smoothly and continuously, or hanging loosely and gracefully.
2. verbThe present participle of flow: moving steadily as a liquid does.

Flowing in a sentence

• adjective

  The river was deep and flowing after the heavy rain.

• verb

  With the tap still flowing, the sink quickly overflowed.

• adjective

  She wore a long, flowing dress to the evening reception.

• verb

  Traffic was flowing freely once the roadworks were cleared.

Where does flowing come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the Old English verb flowan, meaning 'to flow, stream, or run' as water does, a thoroughly native Germanic word with relatives in Dutch vloeien and in the wider family that gave us 'flood'. The base verb traces back to a Proto-Germanic root tied to the idea of liquid moving freely, and ultimately to an even older Indo-European root suggesting swelling or overflowing water. The form 'flowing' is simply the present participle, made by adding the ordinary -ing ending, and it began doing double duty as an adjective very early, describing anything that moves with the smooth, continuous motion of a stream. Over the centuries the sense broadened from literal water to loose hanging hair, draping garments, graceful lines, and even uninterrupted speech or writing. Because the spelling keeps the silent 'w' from 'flow' and then stacks the regular -ing on top, the word stays simple and predictable: there is no hidden trap, just flow plus ing.

How the word is built

• flow (Old English flowan: to flow, run as a liquid)
• -ing (present-participle / adjective suffix)