A sudden, large, and continuous flow of something, like emotions, words, or large amounts of a liquid.
From 'out' and 'pouring' (from 'pour,' meaning to flow). The metaphorical sense of 'an outpouring of emotion' became common by the 1800s, describing feelings flowing out like water.
An 'outpouring' uses water as a metaphor for emotions—as if feelings are contained inside us and suddenly burst out. This is why so many languages use water/flow metaphors for emotions: they're actually physical experiences that overflow our attempts to control them.
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