flux means flowing; unstable; inconstant; variable.
flux is pronounced /flʌks/.
Why “flux” is a great word
A state of flowing, continuous change, or instability. From Old French flux, from Latin fluxus ("a flowing"), from fluere ("to flow"), first recorded in English 1350–1400. Unlike "stable," which implies a fixed and steady permanence, or "dynamic," which suggests energetic, purposeful progress, flux denotes a more passive, often chaotic state of transition without clear direction. It is the shoreline that has no single form, the slow warp of an old wooden floor, and the flickering of shadows cast by a guttering candle—the quiet, unsettling recognition that most things are not arriving or departing, but merely passing through.
Etymology
From Old French flux, from Latin fluxus (“flow”).
adj
- Flowing; unstable; inconstant; variable.e.g.“The flux nature of all things here.”
noun
- The act of flowing; a continuous moving on or passing by, as of a flowing stream.e.g.“By […]the perpetual Flux of the Liquids, a great part of the Liquids is thrown out of the Body.”
- A state of ongoing change.e.g.“The schedule is in flux at the moment.”
- A chemical agent for cleaning metal prior to soldering or welding.e.g.“It is important to use flux when soldering or oxides on the metal will prevent a good bond.”
- The rate of transfer of energy (or another physical quantity), especially an electric or magnetic field, through a given surface.e.g.“That high a neutron flux would be lethal in seconds.”
- A disease which causes diarrhea, especially dysentery.
- Diarrhea or other fluid discharge from the body.
- The state of being liquid through heat; fusion.
verb
- To use flux on.e.g.“You have to flux the joint before soldering.”
- To melt.
- To flow as a liquid.
Words closest in meaning
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