fluere

Fluere is a Latin verb meaning to flow. It describes the motion of liquids, rivers, and other substances that move continuously, and it can also be used metaphorically to indicate progression through time or events. It is a regular verb of the third conjugation.

Principal parts: fluo, fluere, fluxi, fluxum. In the present indicative: fluo, fluis, fluit, fluimus, fluitis, fluunt. Imperfect: fluēbam, fluēbas, fluēbat, fluēbāmus, fluēbatis, fluēbant. Perfect: fluxi, fluxisti, fluxit, fluximus, fluxistis, fluxerunt. Future: fluam, flues, fluet, fluēmus, fluētis, fluent. The present participle is fluēns; the perfect passive participle is fluxus; the supine is fluxum.

In usage, fluere appears in descriptions of natural phenomena (for example, rivus fluit, “the stream flows”) and in figurative phrases such as tempus fluet, “time flows,” or res fluentes in context. The verb also forms the basis of several Latin compounds and phrases and has given rise to English derivatives such as flux, fluid, fluent, and influx; the adjective fluidus means “flowing” or “fluid” and is related.

Historically, fluere is attested in classical Latin and has cognates in other Italic languages and in the Romance languages; its semantic field centers on movement and continuity of flow, making it a common lexical item in descriptions of water, weather, and gradual change.