efflux

English

Etymology

From Latin effluxus, from effluō (“flow out or away”), from ex (“out of, from”) + fluō (“flow”). See also effluxion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛflʌks/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

efflux (countable and uncountable, plural effluxes)

1. The process of flowing out.

   We all age through the efflux of time.

   The efflux of matter from a boil can be painful.

   • 1832, Isaac Taylor, Saturday Evening‎, page 398:

     It is there that the devout affections, undisturbed by other faculties, are incessantly in efflux.

   • 1988, Elizabeth Sagey, Degree of closure in complex segments, Norval Smith, Harry van der Hulst (editors), Features, Segmental Structure and Harmony Processes, Part 1, Linguistic Models 12a, page 176,

     The remaining effluxes are pronounced without audible velar release.

   • 2003, Awtar Krishan, “Flow cytometric monitoring of drug resistance in human tumor cells”, in R.C. Sobti, A. Krishan, editors, Advanced Flow Cytometry: Applications in Biological Research, page 55:

     By facilitating efflux of drugs from the intracellular domain, these proteins reduce cytotoxicity and thus confer drug resistance.

2. Something which has flowed out.

   the efflux of a boil

   • a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Summer”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:

     Prime cheerer, light! […] Efflux divine.

   • 1963, Arnold Reymond, History of the Sciences in Greco-Roman Antiquity‎, page 31:

     Thus between the earth and the sky there is a perpetual exchange of effluxes following a double way, ascending and descending. From the earth and sea arise effluxes, some dry, others moist.

Synonyms

• (process of flowing out): outflow, effluxion, effluence
• (that which has flowed out): outflow

Antonyms

• influx

Derived terms

• effluxome
• radioefflux

Translations

process of flowing out

Bulgarian: изтичане (bg) n (iztičane) Latin: effluvium n Russian: истече́ние (ru) n (istečénije), вытека́ние (ru) n (vytekánije), отто́к (ru) m (ottók), уте́чка (ru) f (utéčka)

that which has flowed out

Bulgarian: отток (bg) m (ottok) Latin: effluvium n Spanish: eflujo m

Verb

efflux (third-person singular simple present effluxes, present participle effluxing, simple past and past participle effluxed)

1. (intransitive) To run out; to flow forth.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To pass away.