FLUME

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does flume mean? 

• FLUME (noun)
  The noun FLUME has 2 senses:

1. a narrow gorge with a stream running through it

2. watercourse that consists of an open artificial chute filled with water for power or for carrying logs

  Familiarity information: FLUME used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLUME (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A narrow gorge with a stream running through it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

flume; gulch

Hypernyms ("flume" is a kind of...):

gorge (a deep ravine (usually with a river running through it))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Watercourse that consists of an open artificial chute filled with water for power or for carrying logs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("flume" is a kind of...):

watercourse; waterway (a conduit through which water flows)

 Context examples 

Water-filled flumes are common tools for studying the movement of sand dunes in a lab setting, but the dunes can only be observed until they reach the end of the tank.

(Sand dunes can ‘communicate’ with each other, University of Cambridge)

In the current study, the researchers used a miniature model room placed inside a flume to recreate the movements of air inside a room when windows are opened in different temperature and wind conditions.

(Wind more effective than cold air at cooling rooms naturally, University of Cambridge)

As the experiment continued, the dunes got further and further apart, until they form an equilibrium on opposite sides of the circular flume, remaining 180 degrees apart.

(Sand dunes can ‘communicate’ with each other, University of Cambridge)

Instead, the Cambridge researchers have built a circular flume so that the dunes can be observed for hours as the flume rotates, while high-speed cameras allow them to track the flow of individual particles in the dunes.

(Sand dunes can ‘communicate’ with each other, University of Cambridge)