English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Middle French affluent, borrowed in turn from Latin affluentem, accusative singular of affluēns, present active participle of affluō (flow to or towards; overflow with), from ad (to, towards) + fluō (flow) (cognate via latter to fluid, flow). Sense of “wealthy” (plentiful flow of goods) c. 1600, which also led to nominalization affluence.[1]

Pronunciation

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  • (US)
    • enPR: ăf'lo͞o-ənt, IPA(key): /ˈæfluːənt/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • enPR: ă-flo͞o'ənt, ə-flo͞o'ənt, IPA(key): /æˈfluːənt/, /əˈfluːənt/
    • Although the pronunciation with second-syllable stress does occur in educated U.S. usage, it is appreciably less common than the pronunciation with first-syllable stress[2][3] and is regarded as unacceptable by many American speakers.[3]

Noun

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affluent (plural affluents)

  1. Somebody who is wealthy.
    • 1994, Philip D. Cooper, Health care marketing: a foundation for managed quality, page 183:
      The affluents are most similar to the professional want-it-alls in their reasons for preferring specific hospitals and in their demographic characteristics.
  2. A stream or river flowing into a larger river or into a lake; a tributary stream; a tributary.

Synonyms

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Translations

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Adjective

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affluent (comparative more affluent, superlative most affluent)

  1. Abundant; copious; plenteous.
    • 1860, Mary Howitt, transl., Life in the Old World:
      The shores are affluent in beauty, and incomparably lovely is the drive to the heights of Castel-a-Mare.
  2. (by extension) Abounding in goods or riches; having a moderate level of material wealth.
    They were affluent, but aspired to true wealth.
    The Upper East Side is an affluent neighborhood in New York City.
  3. (dated) Tributary.
  4. (obsolete) Flowing to; flowing abundantly.
    • 1672, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus, Or, The Anatomy of Consumptions:
      affluent blood

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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French

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Etymology 1

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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affluent (feminine affluente, masculine plural affluents, feminine plural affluentes)

  1. tributary

Noun

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affluent m (plural affluents)

  1. tributary; affluent
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Etymology 2

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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affluent

  1. third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of affluer

Further reading

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Latin

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Verb

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affluent

  1. third-person plural future active indicative of affluō