contra-flow
|con-tra-flow|
🇺🇸
/ˈkɑntrəˌfloʊ/
🇬🇧
/ˈkɒntrəˌfləʊ/
opposing flow
Etymology
'contra-flow' originates from the Latin prefix 'contra-' (from Latin 'contra') meaning 'against' combined with the English word 'flow' (from Old English 'flowan') meaning 'to flow'.
'contra-flow' is a Modern English compound formed by joining the Latin-derived prefix 'contra-' with the native English word 'flow'; it developed in technical and transport usage in the 20th century as operations like reversible lanes and counter-current heat exchange became described in English.
Initially the components literally meant 'against' + 'flow'; over time the compound has taken on specialized technical senses (e.g., traffic management, heat exchangers) describing purposeful opposite-direction movement.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a flow or movement that goes in the opposite direction to the usual or to another flow (often used for traffic or crowd movement).
The highway was put into contra-flow to speed up evacuation traffic.
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Noun 2
in engineering (especially heat exchangers), a counter-current arrangement where two fluids flow in opposite directions to improve transfer efficiency.
The heat exchanger uses a contra-flow design to maximize thermal transfer.
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Adjective 1
describing a lane, route, or system that operates with traffic or flow moving opposite to the normal direction.
A contra-flow lane was opened on the bridge for rush hour.
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Last updated: 2025/12/27 09:19