flood
UK[flʌd]US[flʌd]
n
a very large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry
n
a very large number of things or people that appear at the same time
v
to fill or become covered with water, or to cause this to happen
v
to arrive or go somewhere in very large numbers
Etymology
the word 'flood' originates from the old english 'flōd', which is of common germanic origin, related to dutch 'vloed' and german 'flut'. it is ultimately derived from the proto-indo-european root pleu-, meaning 'to flow' or 'to swim', which also gives us words like 'flow', 'float', and 'pluvial'. the semantic journey is direct, with the core concept of 'a flowing body of water' evolving from the general action of flowing to specifically denote an overflowing or inundation of water onto land. this ancient root's sense of movement and fluidity remains clearly embedded in the modern abstract meanings related to overwhelming quantities, whether of water, people, or things.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form derived from old english. it is not productively composed of smaller, identifiable morphemes in modern english.
Examples
the heavy rain caused the river to flood the nearby fields.
the company was flooded with applications after posting the job advert.
a flood of memories came back to her when she visited her old school.