Flu"id, n. A fluid substance; a
body whose particles move easily among themselves.
☞ 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 (flūĭd), 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.