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ef·flu·ent

(ĕfl-ənt)

adj.

Flowing out or forth.

Something that flows out or forth, especially:

a. A stream flowing out of a body of water.

b. An outflow from a sewer or sewage system.

c. A discharge of liquid waste, as from a factory or nuclear plant.

[Middle English, from Latin effluēns, effluent-, present participle of effluere, to flow out : ex-, ex- + fluere, to flow; see bhleu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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