Current: Flowing Now, in Water, Wires and Time
A current is a flow of water, air or electricity. As an adjective it means happening now, and both senses come from the Latin verb to run.
Current is about running. A river current runs, an electric current runs, and something current is running now — the adjective and the noun are the same idea seen from different angles.
- A flow of water or air. *A strong current pulled the boat.*
- A flow of electricity. *Alternating current.*
- Happening now (adjective). *The current situation.*
- A prevailing tendency. *An undercurrent of unease.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | current | A tidal current. |
| Adjective | current | Current affairs. |
| Adverb | currently | Currently unavailable. |
| Noun | currency | Foreign currency. |
| Confusable | currant | Dried currants. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Swim across the current, not against it.Standard advice for a rip current.
- Under current rules, that is not permitted.The adjective.
- The idea gained currency in the 1990s.Currency here means acceptance and circulation.
Current or currant?
- Current — a flow, or happening now
- Currant — a small dried grape, or a berry bush
- The fruit is named after Corinth, where the dried grapes came from
- They sound identical, so only spelling separates them
- A memory hook: currANT is something you eAT
From Latin *currere*, to run — the same verb behind courier, curriculum and excursion. Currency belongs here too: money is what runs from hand to hand.
AC or DC?
Alternating current reverses direction many times a second and is used for mains supply. Direct current flows one way and is what batteries provide.
Currently or presently?
Currently means now. Presently traditionally means soon, though it is often used to mean now, especially in America.