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currant
currawong
currency
currency arbitrage
currency fluctuation
currency future
currency-stabilization fund
currency swap
current
current account
current account equilibrium
current affairs
current amplification
current assets
current-cost accounting
current density
current efficiency
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World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

current
cur·rent [ kúrrənt, kúr ənt ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. existing now: happening, existing, or in force at the present
In my current job, I am in charge of 25 people.
2. valid: accepted as legally valid
3. presently accepted: widely known, accepted, or believed
The theory is no longer current.
4. finance up-to-date with payments: having made all the payments required for the present time


noun  (plural cur·rents)
Definition:
 
1. flow of water or air: a steady flow of water or air in one direction
2. stream: a mass of water or air flowing steadily in one direction
3. flow of electric charge: the flow of electricity through a cable, wire, or other conductor
4. rate of flow of electricity: the rate of flow of an electric charge through a conductor
5. tendency: a trend or tendency
going against the current and moving out of the city upstate
[13th century. < Old French corant, present participle of courre "run" < Latin currere]

cur·rent·ness noun

Word Usage

See currant.

Word History

The Latin word currere, "to run," from which current is derived, is also the source of English corridor, courier, course, occur, and succor.
Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
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