27 June 2019

flume

[ floom ]

noun

a deep narrow defile containing a mountain stream or torrent.
an artificial channel or trough for conducting water, as one used to transport logs or provide water power.
an amusement park ride in which passengers are carried in a boatlike or loglike conveyance through a narrow, water-filled chute or over a water slide.

verb (used with object), flumed, flum·ing.

to transport in a flume.
to divert (a stream) by a flume.

RELATED WORDS

sluice, conduit, run, channel, spillway

ORIGIN OF FLUME

1125–75; Middle English flum; Old French ≪ Latin flūmen stream
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BASED ON THE RANDOM HOUSE UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY, © RANDOM HOUSE, INC. 2019

EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR FLUME

Gradually climbing upward, we come to a tract of land that is watered by the Flume.
A TRUTHFUL WOMAN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA|KATE SANBORN

“I know very little about the man, but I never saw more thorough work than he has put in on the flume,” he said.
A DAMAGED REPUTATION|HAROLD BINDLOSS

The water was brought in a ditch or flume to the top of a high bank, and then terminated in a tight box.
DEATH VALLEY IN ’49|WILLIAM LEWIS MANLY

There being no stint of timber, we could afford to make our flume immensely strong—and we did.
THE TRAIL OF THE BADGER|SIDFORD F. HAMP

Today’s quote

Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.

– E. B. White

On this day

27 June 1880 – birth of Helen Keller, inspirational American author, lecturer and political activist. First deaf-blind person to achieve a Bachelor of Arts degree. Died 1 June 1968.

27 June 1957 – The British Medical Research Council proves a direct link between smoking and lung cancer.