confluence means the act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, confluence ranks #2,737 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words.
confluence is pronounced /ˈkɒn.flu.əns/.
Why “confluence” is a great word
The point at which separate flowing bodies of water meet and become one. From Late Latin cōnfluentia ("a flowing together"), from Latin cōnfluere ("to flow together"), from con- ("together") + fluere ("to flow"), first attested in English in the early 15th century. Unlike "junction," an abstract point of connection stripped of liquid motion, or "conflux," which suggests a sudden, turbulent collision, "confluence" preserves the patient, continuous nature of water seeking water. It is the Missouri sliding brown into the clearer Mississippi, their currents running parallel for miles before surrendering distinction; it is two glacial streams, one milky with rock flour, one transparent as glass, braiding together on a valley floor; it is the subtle V of ripples where spring-fed and surface water reconcile their temperatures—a silent testament that all forward motion is, eventually, a merging.
Etymology
From late Middle English confluence, from Late Latin cōnfluentia (“a flowing together, conflux”), from cōnfluēns (present participle of cōnfluō (“to flow or run together”)) + -ia (nominal suffix).
noun
- The act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.e.g.“The confluence of the rivers produced a great rush of water.”
- The act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.; The place where two rivers, streams, or other continuously flowing bodies of water meet and become one, especially where a tributary joins a river.e.g.“We encountered an abandoned boat at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.”
- The act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.; The stream or body formed by the junction of two or more streams; a combined flood.
- A convergence or combination of forces, people, or things.e.g.“The confluence of our skills resulted in a successful home renovation project.”
- The proportion of cells, in a culture medium, that adhere to each other.
- A property describing which terms can be rewritten with other, equivalent terms.
verb
- To join together into one stream.e.g.“CHN 082 flows for approximately 304.8 meters (1,000 feet) before confluencing with the North Bald Eagle Creek.”
Words closest in meaning
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