Why do people use the word fluid when they mean liquid?

A fluid is anything that flows, not just a liquid. When doctors tell us to drink plenty of fluids, they aren't telling us to swallow rice grains. When we talk of bodily fluids, we don't mean the gases in our lungs.

Why?

Because fluid, in one of its senses, has become a synonym for liquid in the latter's sense of 'flowing freely'.

[This message was edited by jheem on Tue Mar 2nd, 2004 at 22:27.]

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Originally posted by Graham Nice:
When doctors tell us to drink plenty of fluids, they aren't telling us to swallow rice grains.

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As we all know, words can have multiple meanings. Graham's example brings to mind another example. During a time when I had a very bad cold, a doctor asked me if my cough was "productive." He was asking if the cough was bringing up phlegm but I had never heard the word used that way before.

I thought he was asking me if I was somehow making money on the deal...

Oh, CJ, that is just hilarious!!! As one who specializes in pulmonary problems, we do worry about productive coughs (especially if the production is green or yellow or if it smel......better stop while I am ahead! ) However, leave it to the doctors to ask it that way!

My funniest doctor experience (not to get off the subject or anything) was when my neophyte pediatrician suggested that I let my 8-month old baby crawl around all day naked to cure a diaper rash. Now, being open to air is a wonderful way to treat rashes....but let's get real here! Then there was my gynecologist who said when I told him that I had an earache, "I will try to look into your ears, but I am not that good at it. I just can't understand physicians who specialize in ENT as they have to look in ears and noses all day." Shu and I had to laugh as what does he look into all day?

Back to fluids/liquids. Maybe it's a UK/US difference, but doctors here often say to drink plenty of liquids. But, beyond that, I understand what Graham is saying. Being precise, fluid and liquids are not synonymous, jheem. In fact, one definition is that fluid is the generic term, and it includes liquids and gases as species. Thus 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 the source said that this is not strictly appropriate.

It does seem as though "drink plenty of liquids" is more precise.

It's common in the USA to hear of the oil used in automatic transmissions as "automatic transmission fluid," not "automatic transmission oil." That one has puzzled me for a looong time.

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Being precise, fluid and liquids are not synonymous, jheem. In fact, one definition is that fluid is the generic term, and it includes liquids and gases as species. Thus water, air, and steam are fluids.

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Sorry, I don't buy it, Kalleh. Being precise, fluid and liquid can be exact synonyms. Cf. the physician's usage. And they can be different. Cf. the physicist's usage. These two words can have different meanings or the same.

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That one has puzzled me for a looong time.

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Why? It's says "automatic transmission fluid" in the manual and on the can. Seems a rather simple thing to me. Besides which it doesn't even look like oil, because it's usually pink in color.

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Sorry, I don't buy it, Kalleh

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Okay. We have agreed to disagree before, haven't we? I like words to be precise. I don't like it when a word can mean this here, but it can't mean it there, etc. I like to use precise words, if at all possible. I think "fluid" is a more general word than "liquid," or even when it applies to transmission oil. I agree with Asa on the latter.

Now, I do bow to your knowledge as a linguistics expert, so I am not saying I am right and you are wrong. I am telling you my preference. That's why I hate multiple differing definitions of words. How do you know what to use, especially when you are just looking up the word and don't know it. IMHO, it adds to confusion in communication, and we have too much of that already.

Kalleh-- Don't bow down to no linguinis. Keep up the good fight. It's just that in spite of all the imprecision, synonymy, polysemy, and homonymy, language means. And how. Just take a look at almost any dictionary entry. Words have multiple and finely nuanced meanings. Fluid meant liquid a long time before it got its physics-centric meaning that applies to liquids as well as gases. It also has another meaning: "characterized by or employing a smooth easy style" [A-H]. Why should we limit ourselves to one meaning? (Whither fluency in a language?) In the end, you're right, and I'm wrong, since I'm sure that most everybody else on the board agrees with you. And that's OK with me.

The doctors' advice is slightly odd, since fluid and liquid mean exactly the same thing in this context, but liquid is the clearer and more familiar. No doubt about what it covers.

In other words, take two dictionaries and call me in the morning...

In my ongoing campaign to stamp out, eliminate, discourage, and reduce redundancy, I feel inspired to point out that "drink fluids" and "pink in color" are redundant.

BTW one of my favorite anecdotes came from a friend who was in medical school. That day, in anatomy lab they were examining male genitalia. The voice of a female student was heard: "I always thought it had a bone in it!"

Oh, Jerry, that is funny! I do hope she doesn't go into gynecology!

Now, I agree about "pink in color," but what should you say when referring to drinking fluids? What verb do you use?

The point would seem to be that unless you specifically want to differentiate between this action and "drinking solids" and/or "drinking gases" (an unlikely occurance at best) the phrase "drinking fluids" is redundant.

I'm not totally 100% (not a redundancy when used for emphasis) behind this line of thinking myself since "drinking fluids" could be used to place the emphasis on the "fluids" as opposed to the actual process of drinking.