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noun Gulf n. 1.A hollow place in the earth; an abyss; a deep chasm or basin, "He then surveyed Hell and the gulf between." "Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed." 2.That which swallows; the gullet. (Obs.) 3.That which swallows irretrievably; a whirlpool; a sucking eddy. "A gulf of ruin, swallowing gold." 4.(Geog.) A portion of an ocean or sea extending into the land; a partially land-locked sea; as, the Gulf of Mexico. 5.(Mining) A large deposit of ore in a lode. Gulf Stream (Geog.), the warm ocean current of the North Atlantic. Note: It originates in the westward equatorial current, due to the trade winds, is deflected northward by Cape St. Roque through the Gulf of Mexico, and flows parallel to the coast of North America, turning eastward off the island of Nantucket. Its average rate of flow is said to be about two miles an hour. The similar Japan current, or Kuro-Siwo, is sometimes called the Gulf Stream of the Pacific. Gulf weed (Bot.), a branching seaweed (Sargassum bacciferum, or sea grape), having numerous berrylike air vessels, found in the Gulf Stream, in the Sargasso Sea, and elsewhere.
Stream n. 1.A current of water or other fluid; a liquid flowing continuously in a line or course, either on the earth, as a river, brook, etc., or from a vessel, reservoir, or fountain; specifically, any course of running water; as, many streams are blended in the Mississippi; gas and steam came from the earth in streams; a stream of molten lead from a furnace; a stream of lava from a volcano. 2.A beam or ray of light. "Sun streams." 3.Anything issuing or moving with continued succession of parts; as, a stream of words; a stream of sand. "The stream of beneficence." "The stream of emigration." 4.A continued current or course; as, a stream of weather. "The very stream of his life." 5.Current; drift; tendency; series of tending or moving causes; as, the stream of opinions or manners. Gulf stream. See under Gulf. Stream anchor, Stream cable. (Naut.) See under Anchor, and Cable. Stream ice, blocks of ice floating in a mass together in some definite direction. Stream tin, particles or masses of tin ore found in alluvial ground; so called because a stream of water is the principal agent used in separating the ore from the sand and gravel. Stream works (Cornish Mining), a place where an alluvial deposit of tin ore is worked. To float with the stream, figuratively, to drift with the current of opinion, custom, etc., so as not to oppose or check it. Synonyms: Current; flow; rush; tide; course. Stream, Current. These words are often properly interchangeable; but stream is the broader word, denoting a prevailing onward course. The stream of the Mississippi rolls steadily on to the Gulf of Mexico, but there are reflex currents in it which run for a while in a contrary direction.
Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48
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