drift /drift/

1. A heap of matter (eg snow) driven together
2. Floating materials driven by water
3. A driving
4. A drove (archaic)
5. A driving shower
6. A streaming movement
7. The direction in which a thing is driven
8. A slow current caused by the wind
9. Leeway
10. Passive travel with the current, wind, etc
11. Abandonment to external influences
12. Tendency
13. A cattle-track, drove road
14. A group of animals driven or herded
15. A pin or bar driven into a hole, eg to enlarge it (also driftˈpin)
16. A drift net
17. A set of nets
18. The object aimed at
19. The meaning or implication of words used
20. Loose superficial deposits, esp glacial or fluvioglacial (geology)
21. A horizontal or oblique excavation or passage (mining)
22. A ford (S Afr; from Dutch)

1. To drive
2. To carry by drift
3. To cause or allow to drift
4. To pierce or tunnel

1. To be floated along
2. To be driven into heaps
3. To leave things to circumstances
4. To wander around, or live, without any definite aim

driftˈage noun

1. That which is drifted
2. The amount of deviation from a ship's course due to leeway

driftˈer noun

1. Someone or something that drifts
2. An aimless shiftless person
3. A fisherman or a fishing-boat that uses a drift net

driftˈless adjective

Without drift

driftˈy adjective

Full of or forming drifts

driftˈ-anchor noun

An anchor for keeping the ship's head to the wind

driftˈ-bolt noun

A steel bolt used to drive out other bolts

drift ice noun

Floating masses of ice drifting before the wind

driftˈ-land noun

An old tribute paid for the privilege of driving cattle through a manor

driftˈ-mining noun

1. Gold-mining by means of drifts in the gravel and detritus of old river beds
2. Coalmining by means of drifts

drift net noun

A net that is allowed to drift with the tide

driftˈpin see drift (n) above.

driftˈ-sail noun

A sail immersed in the water, used for lessening the drift of a vessel during a storm

drift transistor noun (radio)

One in which resistivity increases continuously between emitter and collector junctions, improving high-frequency performance

drift tube noun (electronics)

A tube-shaped electrode in which electrons pass without significant change in velocity, while the accelerating radio frequency voltage changes

• upping-stocks
• upping-stone
• upping-stones
• uppish
• uppishly
• uppishness
• uppishnesses
• uppity
• up-pricked
• up-putting
• upraise
• upraised
• upraises
• upraising
• upran
• uprate
• uprated
• uprates
• uprating
• uprear
• upreared
• uprearing
• uprears
• uprest
• upright