different between spin vs flow

English

Etymology

From Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan, from Proto-Germanic *spinnan?. Compare Low German spinnen, Dutch spinnen, German spinnen, Danish spinde, Swedish spinna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?n/
• Rhymes: -?n

Verb

spin (third-person singular simple present spins, present participle spinning, simple past and past participle spun or span)

1. (ergative) To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.

   I spun myself around a few times.

   Spin the ball on the floor.

   She spun around and gave him a big smile.
2. (transitive) To make yarn by twisting and winding fibers together.

   They spin the cotton into thread.
3. To present, describe, or interpret, or to introduce a bias or slant, so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance.
4. (cricket, of a bowler) To make the ball move sideways when it bounces on the pitch.
5. (cricket, of a ball) To move sideways when bouncing.
6. (cooking) To form into thin strips or ribbons, as with sugar
7. To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, etc.) from threads produced by the extrusion of a viscid, transparent liquid, which hardens on coming into contact with the air; said of the spider, the silkworm, etc.
8. To shape, as malleable sheet metal, into a hollow form, by bending or buckling it by pressing against it with a smooth hand tool or roller while the metal revolves, as in a lathe.
9. To move swiftly.

   to spin along the road in a carriage, on a bicycle, etc.

10. To stream or issue in a thread or a small current or jet.

    Blood spins from a vein.
11. (computing, programming, intransitive) To wait in a loop until some condition becomes true.
12. (transitive, informal) To play (vinyl records, etc.) as a disc jockey.
    • 2002, CMJ New Music Report (volume 70, number 12)

      However, for the past six years he has been spinning his novel blend of progressive house and trance music and is finally on the brink of becoming the next luminary DJ.

13. (intransitive) To use an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
14. An abnormal condition in journal bearings where the bearing seizes to the shaft that is rotating and rotates inside the journal, destroying both the shaft and the journal.
15. (Britain, law enforcement, slang, transitive) To search rapidly.
    • 2013, Nick Oldham, Psycho Alley

      But then again, unless someone struck lucky in those first few hours, there weren't even enough detectives to spin a drum [house].

Synonyms

• (give something a favorable appearance): whitewash, sugarcoat, put lipstick on, gild, blandish, dress up

Hypernyms

• revolve
• rotate
• turn

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• turn around

Noun

spin (countable and uncountable, plural spins)

1. Rapid circular motion.

   The car went into a spin.

   The skaters demonstrated their spins.

   He put some spin on the cue ball.

2. (physics) A quantum angular momentum associated with subatomic particles, which also creates a magnetic moment.
3. (countable, uncountable) A favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation.

   Try to put a positive spin on the disappointing sales figures.

   The politician was mocked in the press for his reliance on spin rather than facts.

   Synonym: propaganda

4. (sports) Rotation of the ball as it flies through the air; sideways movement of the ball as it bounces.
5. (aviation) A condition of flight where a stalled aircraft is simultaneously pitching, yawing and rolling in a spinning motion.
6. A brief trip by vehicle, especially one made for pleasure.
7. A bundle of spun material; a mass of strands and filaments.
   • 1913, DH Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 1

     She left him alone, and went to get Annie a spin of toffee.

8. A single play of a record by a radio station.
   • 1996, Billboard (volume 108, number 12, page 37)

     Although the Loveless title showed the smallest increase in airplay in the top 10, its number of detections outpaced the nearest bulleted title by more than 350 spins.

9. (Britain, prison slang) A search of a prisoner's cell for forbidden articles.
   • 2002, Jeffrey Archer, A Prison Diary

     Mr Weedon explains that this is a cell search - known by prisoners as a spin - and for obvious reasons it has to be carried out without any warning.

10. (dated) Unmarried woman, spinster.
    • 1893, Bithia Mary Croker, "To Let" in "To Let" etc., Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1906, p. 1, [2]

      Some years ago, when I was a slim young spin, I came out to India to live with my brother Tom […]

11. (uncountable) The use of an exercise bicycle, especially as part of a gym class.
12. (nautical) Short for spinnaker.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• Insp, NIPs, NPIs, Nips, PINs, PSNI, nips, pins, snip

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?n/
• Hyphenation: spin
• Rhymes: -?n

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch spinne.

Noun

spin f (plural spinnen, diminutive spinnetje n)

1. spider, member of the order Araneae

Derived terms

• kruisspin
• spinnekop
• spinnendoder
• spinnenweb
• vogelspin
• wolfsspin

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. (physics) particle spin

Derived terms

• kernspin

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (uncountable)

1. political spin, media spin

Derived terms

• spindoctor

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

spin

1. first-person singular present indicative of spinnen
2. imperative of spinnen

Faroese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spi?n/

Noun

spin n (genitive singular spins, uncountable)

1. sperm

Declension

Synonyms

• spina

Anagrams

• nisp
• pins

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Alternative forms

• spinni

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?spin/, [?s?pin]
• Rhymes: -in
• Syllabification: spin

Noun

spin

1. (physics) spin

Declension

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. (physics) spin

Derived terms

• spineur

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin sp?nus.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. thorn bush

Related terms

• spine

Garo

Etymology

Cognate with Kokborok siping (“sesame”).

Noun

spin

1. sesame

Hungarian

Etymology

From English spin.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -in

Noun

spin (plural spinek)

1. (physics) spin (quantum angular momentum)

Declension

References

Middle English

Noun

spin

1. Alternative form of spyne

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?in/

Etymology 1

From English spin.

Noun

spin m inan

1. (physics) spin (quantum angular momentum)

Declension

Derived terms

• (adjective) spinowy

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Noun

spin f

1. genitive plural of spina

Further reading

• spin in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• spin in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Noun

spin m (plural spins)

1. (physics) spin (quantum angular momentum of subatomic particles)

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin sp?nus, from sp?na, from Proto-Italic *spein?, from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“sharp point”). Compare Aromanian schin

Noun

spin m (plural spini)

1. thorn

Declension

Synonyms

• ghimpe, aculeu

Related terms

• spinos

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?n/

Noun

spin (plural spins)

1. (South Scots) Alternative form of spuin

Spanish

Alternative forms

• espín

Etymology

Borrowed from English spin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /es?pin/, [es?p?n]

Noun

spin m (plural spines)

1. spin (clarification of this definition is needed)

West Frisian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

spin c (plural spinnen, diminutive spintsje)

1. spider

Further reading

• “spin”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: fl?
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fl??/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /flo?/
• Homophones: floe, Flo
• Rhymes: -??

Etymology 1

From Middle English flowen, from Old English fl?wan (“to flow”), from Proto-West Germanic *fl?an, from Proto-Germanic *fl?an? (“to flow”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl?w-, lengthened o-grade form of *plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Compare float.

Noun

flow (countable and uncountable, plural flows)

1. A movement in people or things with a particular way in large numbers or amounts
2. The movement of a real or figurative fluid.
3. (mathematics) A formalization of the idea of the motion of particles in a fluid, as a group action of the real numbers on a set.

   The notion of flow is basic to the study of ordinary differential equations.

4. The rising movement of the tide.
5. Smoothness or continuity.

6. The amount of a fluid that moves or the rate of fluid movement.

7. A flow pipe, carrying liquid away from a boiler or other central plant (compare with return pipe which returns fluid to central plant).
8. (psychology) A mental state characterized by concentration, focus and enjoyment of a given task.
9. The emission of blood during menstruation.

10. (rap music slang) The ability to skilfully rap along to a beat.

11. (computing) The sequence of steps taken in a piece of software to perform some action. (Usually preceded by an attributive such as login or search.)

Synonyms

• (continuity): See also Thesaurus:continuity

Antonyms

• (movement of the tide): ebb
• (continuity): See also Thesaurus:discontinuity

Hyponyms

Derived terms

• ebb and flow
• flowchart
• flowmeter
• freeflow
• single-flow

Translations

Further reading

• flow on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Flow (psychology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

flow (third-person singular simple present flows, present participle flowing, simple past and past participle flowed)

1. (intransitive) To move as a fluid from one position to another.

   Rivers flow from springs and lakes.

   Tears flow from the eyes.

2. (intransitive) To proceed; to issue forth.

   Wealth flows from industry and economy.
3. (intransitive) To move or match smoothly, gracefully, or continuously.

   The writing is grammatically correct, but it just doesn't flow.

   • , Dedication

     Virgil […] is […] sweet and flowing in his hexameters.

4. (intransitive) To have or be in abundance; to abound, so as to run or flow over.

   • In that day […] the hills shall flow with milk.

   • 1845, John Wilson, The Genius and Character of Robert Burns

     the exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl

5. (intransitive) To hang loosely and wave.

   a flowing mantle; flowing locks

   • March 11, 1788, Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers

     the imperial purple flowing in his train

6. (intransitive) To rise, as the tide; opposed to ebb.

   The tide flows twice in twenty-four hours.
7. (transitive, computing) To arrange (text in a wordprocessor, etc.) so that it wraps neatly into a designated space; to reflow.
8. (transitive) To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.
9. (transitive) To cover with varnish.
10. (intransitive) To discharge excessive blood from the uterus.

Derived terms

• flowable, reflowable
• free-flowing
• overflow
• underflow

Translations

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Perhaps from Old Norse flói (“a large bay, firth”), see floe. Compare Scots flow (“peat-bog, marsh”), Icelandic flói (“marshy ground”).

Noun

flow (plural flows)

1. (Scotland) A morass or marsh.

References

• “flow, n.².”, in OED Online ?, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000
• “flow, v., n.¹” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

Anagrams

• Wolf, fowl, wolf

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?flow/, [?flow]

Noun

flow m (plural flows)

1. flow