Main Entry: ¹stream

Pronunciation: \ˈstrēm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English streme, from Old English strēam; akin to Old High German stroum stream, Greek rhein to flow

Date: before 12th century

1 : a body of running water (as a river or brook) flowing on the earth; also : any body of flowing fluid (as water or gas)
2 a : a steady succession (as of words or events) <kept up an endless stream of chatter> b : a constantly renewed or steady supply <a stream of revenue> c : a continuous moving procession <a stream of traffic>
3 : an unbroken flow (as of gas or particles of matter)
4 : a ray of light
5 a : a prevailing attitude or group <has always run against the stream of current fashion> b : a dominant influence or line of development <the influence of two streams of inheritance: genetic and cultural — P. B. Baltes>
6 British : track 3c