effluent

[ ef-loo-uhnt ]

adjective

1. flowing out or forth.

noun

1. something that flows out or forth; outflow; effluence.
2. a stream flowing out of a lake, reservoir, etc.
3. sewage that has been treated in a septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
4. sewage or other liquid waste that is discharged into a body of water, etc.

effluent

/ ˈɛflʊənt /

noun

1. liquid discharged as waste, as from an industrial plant or sewage works
2. radioactive waste released from a nuclear power station
3. a stream that flows out of another body of water
4. something that flows out or forth

adjective

1. flowing out or forth

effluent

/ ĕf′lo̅o̅-ənt /

Adjective

1. Flowing out or forth.

Noun

1. A stream flowing out of a body of water.
2. An outflow or discharge of liquid waste, as from a sewage system, factory, or nuclear plant.

Other Words From

• super·efflu·ent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of effluent¹

1720–30; < Latin effluent- (stem of effluēns flowing out, present participle of effluere ), equivalent to ef- ef- + flu- flow + -ent- -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of effluent¹

C18: from Latin effluere to run forth, from fluere to flow

Example Sentences

During the dry season, the filtration side is filled with partially cleaned effluent from a sewage treatment plant.

From MIT Technology Review

Heavy rainfall would seal up the soil until effluent had nowhere to go but up onto lawns or back into homes.

From Washington Post

It says its plan could be done for way cheaper – $80 million all in – and could capture 80 percent of the effluent before it heads to the ocean.

From Voice of San Diego

This wouldn’t provide nearly as much water, but the water it would provide could still be cheaper than water we currently import from the Colorado River, and it could prevent some untreated effluent from flowing into the Pacific, Tetzlaff said.

From Voice of San Diego

Only seven percent of the world’s wastewater is fully treated to remove nitrogen, and when the urine-tinged effluent is released into water bodies it acts as a pollutant, causing algal blooms and fish die-offs.

From Popular-Science

Yet overall the media absolutely adores cruise-ship stories, especially if they can be connected to effluent.

From The Daily Beast

No sludge is left, everything being turned into the harmless effluent.

From Project Gutenberg

Namely, it is an attempt to exhibit apparent nature as an effluent from the mind because of causal nature.

From Project Gutenberg

The meeting point of these two natures is the mind, the causal nature being influent and the apparent nature being effluent.

From Project Gutenberg

The effluent is fit for all the varied uses of a dye works, and is stated to be perfectly capable of sustaining fish life.

From Project Gutenberg

The cuttle is the only animal that I know of that would cause this by the effluent current from its "syphon tube."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• discharge