Flu"id , n. A fluid substance; a body whose particles move easily among themselves.
&fist; Fluid is a generic
term, including liquids and
gases as species. Water, air, and steam are
fluids. By analogy, the term is sometimes applied to electricity and magnetism, as in phrases electric fluid, magnetic fluid, though not strictly appropriate.
Fluid dram, or Fluid drachm, a measure of capacity equal to one eighth
of a fluid ounce. -- Fluid ounce. (a)
In the United States, a measure of capacity, in apothecaries' or wine measure, equal to one sixteenth of a pint or 29.57
cubic centimeters. This, for water, is
about 1.04158 ounces avoirdupois, or 455.6 grains. (b)
In England, a measure of capacity equal to the twentieth part of an imperial pint. For water, this is the weight of the
avoirdupois ounce, or 437.5 grains. -- Fluids
of the body. (Physiol.) The
circulating blood and lymph, the chyle, the gastric, pancreatic, and intestinal juices, the saliva, bile, urine, aqueous humor, and muscle serum are the
more important fluids
of the body. The tissues themselves contain a large amount of combined water, so much, that
an entire human body dried in vacuo with a very moderate degree of heat gives
about 66 per cent of water. -- Burning fluid, Elastic fluid, Electric fluid, Magnetic fluid, etc. See under Burning, Elastic, etc.
Flu"id (flū&ibreve;d), a. [L. fluidus, fr.
fluere to flow: cf. F. fluide. See Fluent.]
Having
particles which easily move and change their relative position without a separation of the mass, and
which easily yield to pressure; capable of flowing; liquid or gaseous.
Hear it pronounced