ScienceJuly 13, 2026
effluent
/ˈɛfluənt/
Definition
Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or the sea.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'effluere,' meaning 'to flow out.' It entered English in the 17th century to describe things that flow out, particularly waste matter.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe the contaminated nature of floodwaters if London were to be submerged, emphasizing the hazardous and repulsive reality of such a disaster.
Why climate scientists need to talk more about the very worst-case scenarios
Read the full article ↗The Conversation