Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - flow

 I. verb  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English flowan; akin to Old High German flouwen to rinse, wash, Latin pluere to rain, Greek plein to sail, float  Date: before 12th century  intransitive verb  1.  a.  (1) to issue or move in a stream  (2) circulate  b. to move with a continual change of place among the constituent particles molasses ~s slowly  2. rise the tide ebbs and ~s  3. abound a land ~ing with natural resources  4.  a. to proceed smoothly and readily conversation ~ed easily  b. to have a smooth continuity  5. to hang loose and billowing her gown ~ed around her  6. to derive from a source ; come the wealth that ~s from trade  7. to deform under stress without cracking or rupturing — used especially of minerals and rocks  8. menstruate  transitive verb  1. to cause to ~  2. to discharge in a ~  Synonyms: see spring  • ~ingly adverb  II. noun  Date: 15th century  1. an act of ~ing  2.  a. flood 1a  b. flood 2 the tide's ebb and ~  3.  a. a smooth uninterrupted movement or progress a ~ of information  b. stream; also a mass of material which has ~ed when molten an old lava ~  c. the direction of movement or development go with the ~  4. the quantity that ~s in a certain time a gauge that measures fuel ~  5. menstruation  6.  a. the motion characteristic of fluids  b. a continuous transfer of energy