A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge.In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide.
Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, exceeding the total capacity of its bounds, with the result that some of the water flows or sits outside of the normal perimeter of the body. It can also occur in rivers, when the strength of the river is so high it flows right out of the river channel, particularly at corners or meanders.
The word comes from the Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages (compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float).
The term "The Flood," capitalized, usually refers to the great Universal Deluge described in Genesis and is treated at Deluge.
