■ verb
1》 be carried slowly by a current of air or water.
2》 walk slowly or casually.
↘move aimlessly or involuntarily into a certain situation or condition: Lewis and his father ~ed apart.
3》 (chiefly of snow) be blown into heaps by the wind.
■ noun
1》 a continuous slow movement from one place to another.
↘deviation from an intended course because of currents or winds.
↘ Motor Racing a controlled skid, used in taking bends at high speeds.
↘ Brit. historical an act of driving cattle or sheep.
2》 the general meaning of someone's remarks: he didn't understand much Greek, but he got her ~.
3》 a large mass of snow or other material piled up by the wind.
↘ Geology deposits left by retreating ice sheets.
4》 a state of inaction or indecision.
5》 Mining a passage following a mineral vein or coal seam.
6》 S. African a ford.
Derivatives
~y adjective
Origin
ME: orig. from ON ~ 'snow~, something driven'; in later use from MDu. ~ 'course, current', related to drive .