Átfolyását

Átfolyását is a form of the Hungarian noun átfolyás, meaning the act or result of flowing through something, or the amount that passes through a boundary or medium. The word is formed from the prefix át-, indicating movement across, and the noun folyam, with the possessive/genitive suffix -ását/-ását used to refer to “its throughflow” or “the throughflow of X.”

In scientific and technical usage, throughflow denotes the transport of a substance through a barrier or porous medium. It is commonly applied in hydrology and geology to describe water that moves through soil, rock, or other subsurface layers, often distinguishing it from surface runoff or direct infiltration. Throughflow can be lateral, vertical, or a combination, and it plays a key role in groundwater recharge, nutrient and pollutant transport, and soil moisture dynamics. Measurements are typically expressed as fluxes or rates, such as volume per unit time, and are important for understanding catchment hydrology and contaminant fate.

Beyond hydrology, átfolyását appears in other contexts where a substance passes through a medium, such as in chemical engineering, environmental science, or physiology, where the rate of passage through membranes or porous structures is of interest. The exact meaning is context-dependent, but it generally refers to a transfer process across a boundary or within a medium.

Etymologically, átfolyását combines the preposition át- (across, through) with folya- (flow) and the suffix -ás/-ás/-át to form a noun describing the act or result of flowing through. The form is used when a subject’s throughflow is being specified, as in “a talaj átfolyását” or “a víz átfolyását a rétegek között.”