Latin Love, Vol II: fluere

Some familiar words flow from this root meaning "to flow," such as "influence," which may be looked at as a flow of power from one person to the other. Another word for "liquid," as you may know, is "fluid."

More Latin Love, Volume II lists:
cadere, iacere, onym, and vertere!
ELA Common Core State Standard: "Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word."
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fluent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    From talking with the patients I’ve gotten passably fluent in Lingala, which is spoken throughout northern Congo, in Léopoldville, and along most of the navigable rivers. The Poisonwood Bible
    When you learn another language, the goal is to become fluent: to have the words flow naturally, without your having to translate them into your first language. The noun form of fluent is fluency.
  2. affluent
    a person who is financially well off
    “Made in Heaven” is set in New Delhi, where the affluent and the politically connected expect nothing short of tulips flown in from Amsterdam and the finest Bordeaux wines for their grooms and brides. Washington Post (Apr 3, 2019)
    To be affluent is to have enough money that it just flows in and out of your accounts. The idea that money flows is also seen in the word currency.
  3. flux
    a state of constant change
    But human bodies are in a flux of rebuilding and repairing. Scientific American (Dec 5, 2012)
    When something is in flux, it is in a state of change.
  4. fluctuate
    be unstable
    And fluctuating sea levels will alter global climate patterns. Slate (Feb 7, 2013)
    When we say that something fluctuates, we mean that it changes easily and constantly. We often hear this term in a business context, with the stock market fluctuating every day.
  5. influenza
    an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease
    A Maryland medical company is developing a more effective flu vaccine, as federal health researchers are striving to create a vaccine that will negate the effects of all variations and strains of the influenza virus. Washington Times (Jul 24, 2019)
    The word influenza is commonly known as the flu. You know that the flu is contagious, with germs flowing easily from one person to another.
  6. confluence
    a flowing together
    “Is it the weather? Is it mechanics? Is it the company scheduling ability? I think it’s the company scheduling ability as much as anything else at this point. But it’s certainly a confluence of events.” Seattle Times (Aug 28, 2019)
  7. mellifluous
    pleasing to the ear
    The mellifluous baritone was compared to a down comforter, or a slow drip of midwestern molasses or your grandfather telling a bedtime story, a voice millions of Americans grew up with. The Guardian (Nov 30, 2017)
    The root melli means "honey." So, a mellifluous voice is a voice that flows richly and sweetly, like honey.
  8. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
    Resist the temptation of adding a superfluous garnish like a lone raspberry: It doesn’t need it. Slate (Oct 4, 2018)
    The prefix super means "over and above," so anything superfluous is extra, unnecessary.
  9. effluvium
    a foul-smelling outflow or vapor
    Other theories included rotting animal carcasses, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and “effluvia” discharged into the air from the bowels of the earth. Scientific American (Dec 18, 2018)
    Although you can find sentences using effluvium to refer to the flow of pleasing vapors, it is usually used in a negative context, referring to the offensive odors of rotting organic materials, such as sewage and garbage. Yucch!
  10. influential
    having or exercising power
    They both were fully alive to their own eminence, each backed by powerful and influential patrons. Big Science
    The word influential, the adjectival form of influence, refers to people with the power to get things to flow their way.
Created on Mon Jul 01 18:40:58 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Sep 04 15:30:06 EDT 2019)

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