NYT Dictionary

FLUID

/ˈflu.ɪd/
NounAdjectiveFLU-idflu-id · 2 syllablesGrade 9

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2020, 2024, 2026

Meaning

Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma.

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰlewH-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰluH-yé-ti? Latin fluō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin fluidusder. Middle English fluid English fluid From Middle English fluid, from Latin fluidus (“flowing; fluid”), from Latin fluō (“to flow”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell; surge; overflow; run”). Akin to Ancient Greek φλύειν (phlúein, “to swell; overflow”). Not related to English flow, which is a native, inherited word from *plew-, but is distantly related from English bleat.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

fluidicalunstablefluentliquidvariablefluxiverunnysmoothmobileadaptable

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 3 recorded puzzles:

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