drift
Cross references:
1. tendency
1. drift \'drift\ n [ME; akin to OE dri-fan to drive - more at DRIVE] 1a:
the act of driving something along 1b: the flow or the velocity of the
current of a river or ocean stream 2: something driven, propelled, or
urged along or drawn together in a clump by or as if by a natural agency :
as 2a: wind-driven snow, rain, cloud, dust, or smoke usu. at or near the
groun d surface 2b1: a mass of matter (as sand) deposited together by or as
if by wind or w ater 2b2: a helter-skelter accumulation 2c: DROVE, FLOCK
2d: something (as driftwood) washed ashore 2e: rock debris deposited by
natural agents; specif : a deposit of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders
transported by a glacier or by running water from a glacier 3a: a general
underlying design or tendency 3b: the meaning, import, or purport of what
is spoken or written 4: something driven down upon or forced into a body :
as 4a: a tool for ramming down or driving something 4b: a pin for
stretching and aligning rivet holes 5: the motion or action of drifting
spatially usu. under external influence : as 5a: a ship's deviation from
its course caused by currents 5b: one of the slower movements of oceanic
circulation 5c: the lateral motion of an airplane due to air currents 5d:
an easy moderate more or less steady flow or sweep along a spatial cour se
5e: a gradual shift in attitude, opinion, or position 5f: an aimless
course; esp : a foregoing of any attempt at directio n or control 5g: a
deviation from a true reproduction, representation, or reading 6a: a
nearly horizontal mine passageway driven on or parallel to the course of a
vein or rock stratum 6b: a small crosscut in a mine connecting two larger
tunnels 7a: an assumed trend toward a general change in the structure of a
language over a period of time 7b: change in genotypes of small
populations due to random loss or multipli cation of gene groups 7c: a
gradual change in the zero reading of an instrument or in any quantit ive
characteristic that is supposed to remain constant
2. drift \'drif-tin-le-\ vi 1a: to become driven or carried along by a
current of water, wind, or air 1b: to move or float smoothly and
effortlessly 2a: to move along the line of least resistance 2b: to travel
about in a random way esp. in search of work 2c: to become carried along
subject to no guidance or control 3a: to accumulate in a mass or become
piled up in heaps by wind or water 3b: to become covered with a drift 4a:
to vary or deviate from a set adjustment 4b: to vary sluggishly 1a: to
come to be driven in a current West 1b: to drive (livestock) slowly esp.
to allow grazing 2a: to cause to drift 2b: to cover with drifts -
drift.er n