▪ I. flowing, vbl. n.
(ˈfləʊɪŋ)
[f. flow v. + -ing1.]
1. The action of the vb. flow in various senses.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. ix. 20 Wif ðiu blodes flouing ᵹeðolade tuelf uinter. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 168/1 Flowynge of þe watur, fluxus. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxviii. 589 Soo grete a flowynge and gaderynge of the people. 1585 Jas. I. Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 54 They obseruit not Flovving, nor eschewit not Ryming in termes. 1642 Howell For. Trav. 42 We must have perpetuall ebbings and flowings of mirth and melancholy. 1704 Swift T. Tub v. (1709) 77 The happy turns and flowings of the author's wit. 1705 Addison Italy 513 The..Flowings in of the Holy Spirit. 1807 J. E. Smith Phys. Bot. 63 This great motion, called the flowing, of the sap. 1853 Sir H. Douglas Milit. Bridges 2 The flowing of water in a river. |
2. concr. a. That which flows, that which streams forth, a stream, a wave; also transf. a ‘stream’ or herd of animals. Now rare.
| 1382 Wyclif Ps. xcii[i]. 3 Flodis rereden vp ther flowingis. ― Isa. lx. 6 The flowyng of camalles shal couere thee. 1388 ― Josh. v. 1 The Lord hadden dried the flowyngis of Jordan bifor the sones of Israel. a 1679 T. Goodwin Wk. Holy Ghost i. ix. Wks. 1704 V. 57 The Sun..whose Emanations and flowings forth they are. 1844 Upton Physioglyphics ii. 81 These rivers..were what I may term flowings, which may refer to any other fluid as well as water. |
† b. An overflowing; a flood. Obs.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxviii. 9 Lord þe flowynge makis into wone. 1382 Wyclif Isa. xliv. 3, I shal heelden out..flowingus vp on the drie. 1661 Sir E. Turner Sp. to King in Parl. Hist. (1808) IV. 244 Your return into this nation..resembles the flowing of the river Nilus. 1663 in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 328 For preserving of y⊇ same from y⊇ stormes and flowings of y⊇ sea. |
3. Naut. (See quot.). Cf. flow v. 6 b.
| 1769–76 Falconer Dict. Marine, Flowing, the position of the sheets, or lower corners of the principal sails, when they are loosened to the wind. |
4. attrib., as flowing-capacity.
| 1895 Westm. Gaz. 4 June 3/3 The new aqueduct has a flowing capacity of 300,000,000 gallons a day. |
▪ II. flowing, ppl. a.
(ˈfləʊɪŋ)
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
1. That flows, in various senses of the vb. flowing metal: see quot. 1888.
| a 1000 Byrhtnoth 65 (Gr.) Þær com flowende flod æfter ebban. a 1300 Cursor M. 20882 (Gött.) Apon þe flouand see he ȝode. 1388 Wyclif Isa. lxvi. 12 A flowynge streem. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxiv. xxii, After an ebbe there commeth a flowyng tyde. 1698 Froger Voy. 76 Where the Shallops ride at flowing Water. 1700 Blackmore Job 2 To pass the flowing hours in soft delight. 1825 A. Cunningham Song, A wet sheet and a flowing sea. 1841–4 Emerson Ess., Poet Wks. (Bohn) I. 166 Plato defines a line to be a flowing point. 1867 Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 6) III. 404 s.v. Petroleum, The first great flowing well at Ennis⁓killen. 1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin., Flowing Metals, metals of the ductile class which..change their form, under impact, or tensile or compressive strain. |
† b. Math. Continuously varying by infinitesimal quantities. (See fluxion.) Obs.
| 1704 Hayes Fluxions i. 4 The respective flowing Quantities AP, PM, AM. 1758 J. Lyons Fluxions 4 If two flowing quantities x and y are to each other in a given ratio. 1807 Hutton Course Math. II. 278 Variable or flowing quantities. 1842 Francis Dict. Arts, Fluent, or Flowing Quantity. |
† 2. Fluctuating, unstable, inconstant. Obs.
| 1504 W. Atkynson tr. De Imitatione i. xxv. 176 His flowynge and vnstedfast mynde. 1536 Bellenden tr. Boece xvi. xv, For the mynd of commoun pepyll are euir flowand mair inconstant than wynd. |
3. Of language, etc. Gliding easily and smoothly, fluent. Of a person: Having a flowing style (arch.).
| 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 206 The flowyng stile. 1614 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 495 Resolute Hierome, or flowing Chrysostome. 1624 B. Jonson Fortunate Isles, In rime! fine tinckling rime! and flowand verse. 1627 Hakewill Apol. i. v. (1635) 62 A great wit, and flowing eloquence. 1718 Prior Charity 1 Did sweeter Sounds adorn my flowing Tongue, Than ever Man pronounc'd. 1782 Cowper Table T. 741 Flowing numbers and a flowery style. 1827 Carlyle Misc. (1857) I. 20 Undoubtedly he has a flowing pen. 1832 L. Hunt Sonnets Poems 212 Flowing Garth. |
| quasi-adv. 1706 Pope Let. Walsh 22 Oct., In describing a gliding Stream, the Numbers shou'd run easy and flowing. |
b. Of personal carriage and demeanour: Easy, graceful, smooth.
| a 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Maid's Trag. iv. i, Thou art..A lady of..such a flowing carriage, that it cannot Chuse but inflame a kingdom. 1766 Fordyce Serm. Yng. Wom. (1767) I. i. 23 A certain flowing urbanity is acquired. 1868 Digby's Voy. Medit. Pref. 20 A flowing courtesy and civility. 1870 Dickens E. Drood iv, A certain gravely flowing action with his hands. |
4. Of lines or curves, also of objects with reference to their contour: Smoothly continuous and free from rigidity or stiffness. flowing tracery (in Arch.: see quot. 1815).
| 1709 Prior Ode to Howard, Each flowing Line confirm'd his first Surprize. 1812–6 J. Smith Panorama Sc. & Art I. 132 Tracery is..flowing, where the lines branch out into leaves, arches, &c. 1816 L. Hunt Rimini i. 203 The flowing back, firm chest, and fetlocks clean. 1853 Turner Dom. Archit. III. ii. vii. 315 The Chapel is Early English, with flowing windows inserted at the East and North. 1864 Tennyson Aylmer's F. 654 Princely halls, and farms, and flowing lawns. |
5. Of hair, garments, etc.: Swaying loosely and gracefully; waving, unconfined, streaming.
| 1606 B. Jonson Hymenæi Wks. (Rtldg.) 558 Beneath that, another flowing garment, of watchet cloth of silver. 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. vii. 88 With Hazle Phyllis crowns her flowing Hair. 1782 Cowper Gilpin 46 John..Seized fast the flowing mane. 1869 Boutell Arms & Arm. x. 193 The long and flowing surcoat. |
b. Naut. flowing sail, flowing sheet. (See quots. 1769, 1841, and cf. flowing vbl. n. 3.)
| 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. ii. 130 We were pleasingly surprized..to see her open the N.W. point of the bay with a flowing sail. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1776) s.v., A ship is therefore said to have a flowing sheet when the wind crosses the line of her course nearly at right angles. 1825 H. B. Gascoigne Nav. Fame 91 With flowing sails..They seek their station on the western seas. 1841 Dana Seaman's Man. 105 Flowing Sheet when a vessel has the wind free, and the lee clews eased off. |
| fig. 1833 Marryat P. Simple xxxii, Didn't you say..that the captain had paid it [a bill] with a flowing sheet? 1861 Gen. P. Thompson Audi Alt. III. clxi. 174 To wait till the folly could be put down with a flowing sail. |
6. Rising like the tide; full to overflowing, brimming, abundant, copious.
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 121 Sensualite with all her flowynge voluptuous desyres. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, ii. iii. 62 The Kings Maiesty..Doe's purpose honour no lesse flowing Then Marchionesse of Pembrooke. 1644 Milton Educ. (1738) 136 Fat contentions and flowing fees. 1702 Addison Dial. Medals ii. Wks. 1721 I. 474 Horace..speaks of the moderation to be used in a flowing fortune. 1786 Burns Brigs Ayr 221 All-cheering Plenty, with her flowing horn. 1871 Smiles Charac. ii. (1876) 49 She was full of joyous flowing mother-wit. |
¶ 7. flowing hope: mispron. of forlorn hope.
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Wordbk., Flowing-hope: see Forlorn Hope. 1889 in Barrère & Leland Slang. |
Hence ˈflowingly adv., in a flowing manner; ˈflowingness, the quality or state of being flowing.
| a 1603 T. Cartwright Confut. Rhem N.T. (1618) 432 Not..so flowingly by some, as by all the pipes of the Churches exercises. a 1712 W. Nichols Def. Doct. Ch. Eng. Introd. (1715) 118 The..flowingness of his easie Eloquence. 1804 Southey in Robberds Mem. W. Taylor I. 495 It more flowingly fills the sentence. 1852 H. Spencer Gracefulness Ess. 1891 II. 384 A leading trait of grace is continuity, flowingness. 1880 G. Meredith Trag. Com. xi. (1892) 158 When the letters were unimportant, she wrote flowingly. |