flume

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

flume, n. [Cf. OE. flum river, OF, flum, fr. L. flumen, fr. fluere to flow. √84. See Fluent.].

 A stream; especially, a passage channel, or conduit for the water that drives a mill wheel; or an artifical channel of water for hydraulic or placer mining; also, a chute for conveying logs or lumber down a declivity.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

flume, n. & v.
--n.
1 an artificial channel conveying water etc. for industrial use.
2 a ravine with a stream.
--v.
1 intr. build flumes.
2 tr. convey down a flume.

Etymology

ME f. OF flum, flun f. L flumen river f. fluere flow

THESAURUS

flume

abysm, abyss, aqueduct, arroyo, avenue, bed, blowhole, box canyon, breach, break, canal, canyon, cavity, channel, chap, chasm, check, chimney, chink, chute, cleft, cleuch, clough, col, coulee, couloir, crack, cranny, creek bed, crevasse, crevice, culvert, cut, cwm, debouch, defile, dell, dike, ditch, donga, door, draw, dry bed, egress, emunctory, escape, estuary, excavation, exhaust, exit, fault, fissure, flaw, floodgate, fracture, furrow, gap, gape, gash, gorge, groove, gulch, gulf, gully, gullyhole, headrace, hole, incision, irrigation ditch, joint, kloof, leak, loophole, moat, notch, nullah, opening, out, outcome, outfall, outgate, outgo, outlet, pass, passage, pore, port, race, ravine, rent, rift, rime, river bed, riverway, runnel, rupture, sally port, scissure, seam, slit, slot, sluice, spillbox, spillway, spiracle, split, spout, stream bed, streamway, swash, swash channel, tailrace, tap, trench, valley, vent, ventage, venthole, void, vomitory, wadi, water carrier, water channel, water furrow, water gap, water gate, watercourse, waterway, waterworks, way out, weir

ROGET THESAURUS

flume

Conduit

N conduit, channel, duct, watercourse, race, head race, tail race, abito, aboideau, aboiteau, bito, acequia, acequiador, acequiamadre, arroyo, adit, aqueduct, canal, trough, gutter, pantile, flume, ingate, runner, lock-weir, tedge, vena, dike, main, gully, moat, ditch, drain, sewer, culvert, cloaca, sough, kennel, siphon, piscina, pipe, funnel, tunnel, water pipe, waste pipe, emunctory, gully hole, artery, aorta, pore, spout, scupper, adjutage, ajutage, hose, gargoyle, gurgoyle, penstock, weir, flood gate, water gate, sluice, lock, valve, rose, waterworks, pipeline, vascular.