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Flatline vs Flatliner - What's the difference?

flatline | flatliner |

As nouns the difference between flatline and flatliner

is that flatline is an unchanging state, as indicated in a graph of a variable over time while flatliner is (rare) a patient with no heartbeat.

As a verb flatline

is (of the heart) to stop beating.

flatline

English

Noun

  • An unchanging state, as indicated in a graph of a variable over time.
  • * 1967 June 17, "Business Outlook", Business Week , part 6, page 23:
    • Thus, you hear words like "flatline recession," "improvement at a greatly reduced rate," "economic hiccup," "recessionette," "rolling readjustment" and "the economy is double clutching."
  • Asystole; the absence of heart contractions or brain waves.
  • # The disappearance of the rhythmic peaks displayed on a heart monitor.
  • # The disappearance of brain waves on an electroencephalogram.
  • #* 1972 , Louis Lasagna, "Aging and the field of medicine", in Aging and Society: Aging and the professions , edited by Matilda White Riley and ?Anne Foner, page 68:
  • When brain function ceases, the electroencephalogram shows flatline recordings.

    • Verb

  • (of the heart) To stop beating.
  • (by extension) To die.
  • To stay at the same level, without development; or, to fall.
  • * 2012 , The Guardian, National Trust attempts to block £100m Giant's Causeway golf course :
    • The economy in Northern Ireland is flatlining and jobs are scarce.

    flatliner

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (rare) A patient with no heartbeat.
  • * 1996 , Bill Butterworth, Butterworth gets his life together (page 144)
    • unless my heart stops, okay? Nada — unless I'm a flatliner ."
  • * 1998 , George Mckinney, Cross the Line
    • In spite of his dramatic highs and the canyon lows, Kurt was a flatliner —a patient with no heartbeat.
  • * 2011 , Laurence Street, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering Technology (page 125)
    • Though occasionally a “flatliner ” can be revived with a defib, it is most commonly used to change the uncoordinated contractions of the heart (fibrillation) into a normal sinus rhythm—that is, to defibrillate the heart.