streamline

[ streem-lahyn ]

noun

1. a teardrop line of contour offering the least possible resistance to a current of air, water, etc.
2. the path of a particle that is flowing steadily and without turbulence in a fluid past an object.

verb (used with object)

, stream·lined, stream·lin·ing.

1. to make streamlined.
2. to alter in order to make more efficient or simple.

adjective

1. streamlined.

streamline

/ ˈstriːmˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a contour on a body that offers the minimum resistance to a gas or liquid flowing around it
2. an imaginary line in a fluid such that the tangent at any point indicates the direction of the velocity of a particle of the fluid at that point

verb

1. to make streamlined

streamline

/ strēm′līn′ /

1. To construct or reconstruct an object to reduce the amount of drag it undergoes as it moves through a fluid, especially air or water.

streamline

1. The line traced by a liquid or gas as it moves. Streamlines are most commonly used in describing the flow of a liquid or gas around a solid object.

Notes

A “streamlined” design is one in which objects that move through a gas or liquid are shaped to match these lines, and therefore reduce the energy required to produce that motion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of streamline¹

First recorded in 1870–75; stream + line ¹

Example Sentences

For private landowners, the agencies proposed streamlining permitting processes and providing technical assistance to make it less expensive and easier to thin stands.

From Popular-Science

If you spend any time working on your computer at a desk, a monitor arm is an essential piece of equipment that will streamline your workflow and keep your space ergonomic and tidy.

From Popular-Science

Last year they published three papers that used this cohomology theory to streamline calculations involving simple particle collisions.

From Quanta Magazine

What helps us streamline the whole process is our customer communication software by HelpCrunch.

From Search Engine Watch

Major ecommerce sites offer guest checkouts to streamline their checkout process.

From Search Engine Watch

And later film-camera images were better quality as researchers learned how to streamline the process.

From The Daily Beast

And people searching to take over a lease can select “landlord approved” apartments to streamline the process.

From The Daily Beast

Once the public got wind of their move, they intoned that they were just trying to streamline government.

From The Daily Beast

Once revealed, these statesmen shockingly defended the move as part of their effort to streamline government.

From The Daily Beast

But the U.S. District Court in Tucson can only handle up to 70 defendants at each Streamline hearing.

From The Daily Beast

The result was the first American "streamline" design for a shell.

From Project Gutenberg

In its general curvature the ship was a compromise between a true streamline design and a flattened cylinder.

From Project Gutenberg

The French had developed a mortar shell on the streamline principle which was invisible in flight and had twice the range of ours.

From Project Gutenberg

Had the war continued the Trench Warfare Section would have produced streamline shell for mortars.

From Project Gutenberg

"No wonder they streamline," he muttered as he saw the enormous force it took to drive the gigantic ship through this air.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• build
• carve
• construct
• embody
• fashion
• forge
• frame
• mold
• produce