affluent

Middle French affluent, 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]

• (UK)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈæf.lu.ənt/

• (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]

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.

• See also Thesaurus:moneybags

affluent (comparative more affluent, superlative most affluent)

1. Abundant; copious; plenteous.
   • H. Reed

     language […] affluent in expression

2. (by extension) Abounding in goods or riches; having a moderate level of material wealth.

   They were affluent, but aspired to true wealth.

   • 2013 September-October, Michael Sivak, “Will AC Put a Chill on the Global Energy Supply?”, in American Scientist:

     Nevertheless, it is clear that the global energy demand for air-conditioning will grow substantially as nations become more affluent, with the consequences of climate change potentially accelerating the demand.

3. (dated) Tributary.
4. (obsolete) Flowing to; flowing abundantly.
   • Harvey

     affluent blood

• See also Thesaurus:wealthy

• indigent

• affluence
• affluently

• IPA^(key): /a.flɥɑ̃/

• (un affluent)

  (file)

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

1. tributary

affluent m (plural affluents)

1. tributary; affluent

• IPA^(key): /a.fly/

affluent

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

• “affluent” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

affluent

1. third-person plural future active indicative of affluō