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effluence

effluence

1 9.3
The flow of liquid waste out of a place like a factory
  • noun
  • /ˈɛfluəns/
translation icon : efluente
  • The effluence from the factory was polluting the nearby river.

Examples

  • It was pure effluence.

  • Or one also thinks of the notion of efflux—flowing out, effluence.

    Academic text (2017)
  • With subtle effluence of cat.

    Academic text (2016)
  • You'll never know how near he came to ending up in my effluence digester.

  • Thus, the Arab self is endowed with an effluence which fulfills the goal of life: "heroism." 14

    Academic text (1996)
  • I only survived because her smoking carcass... ...formed a protective cocoon of slaughtered human effluence.

  • He felt urgency and, looking up, he continued along the narrow stairs, listing against the weight of the Betacam, batteries, and assorted videotaping effluence in the bag.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • This amalgam of public and private history, hauntingly persistent and deeply pooled in Komunyakaa's memory, spills out in these poems in sometimes unexpected effluences.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The effluence from the wastewater treatment plant is released into the ocean.

  • The scientist measured the effluence of chemicals flowing from the industrial site.

Synonyms

drainage
vseffluence
43 3.5

Removing liquid so it flows away from a place or object

is about the simple act of flowing out rather than intentional removal
outflow
vseffluence
  • Specialized
13 4.6

Movement of water, gas or money out of a place

is the general act of flow outward rather than specific systems
effusion
vseffluence
  • Specialized
7 8.5

A flow of liquid or gas out through a small opening

is broader and does not require pressure or a small opening
efflux
vseffluence
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A flow of something out of a place, like water or chemicals

is the general action of movement outwards, not tied to a place
derivation
vseffluence
  • Specialized
1 7.4

Removing water from a river or source for use

is the spontaneous act of flowing out rather than deliberate removal
outflowing
vseffluence
5.6

Moving outward in a steady stream from a source like water or gas

is the general flow action that can be continuous or momentary
exudation
vseffluence
  • Specialized
9.6

Slow leaking of liquid from wounds or blood vessels

is broader, covering any outward flow not only biological discharge
oozing
vseffluence
4.5

A slow steady flow of liquid from a small opening

is the general act of flowing out rather than slow seepage specifically
to spurting
vseffluence
3.9

To force liquid out quickly in a narrow stream, like blood or water

is the general outward flow and not necessarily sudden or forceful
exfiltration
vseffluence
  • Specialized
8.4

The leaking of water from a pipe or drain into the soil

is the broad process of flowing out, not limited to infrastructure leakage

Antonyms

59 4.1

A large number of people or things arriving at a place

intake
  • Specialized
7 3.5

The act of breathing air into the lungs

How Fast

gush
6 4.3
flow
188 1.0
effluence
1 9.3
to trickle
70 3.4
seepage
7 5.7

Surface Forms

effluence singular
effluences plural

Morphology

effluence = effluent (semi-transparent) = ef + flu + ence

The parts ('ef-' = out, 'flu-' = flow, '-ence' = noun-forming) yield the general meaning 'the act of flowing out', but these Latin-derived, learned morphemes are formal and not reliably analyzable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Effluence comes from the old Latin verb effluere, made from ex- 'out' and fluere 'to flow', so it literally means 'to flow out'. Think of English words like flow and fluid; an effluence is something that flows out, such as waste or water leaving a pipe, which is why the word is used for outflow and pollution.