[draft] n [ME draght; akin to OE dragan to draw--more at draw] (13c) 1: the act of drawing a net; also: the quantity of fish taken at one drawing
2. a: the act or an instance of drinking or inhaling; also: the portion drunk or inhaled in one such act b: a portion poured out or mixed for drinking: dose 3 a: the force required to pull an implement b: load or load-pulling capacity
4. a: the act of moving loads by drawing or pulling: pull b: a team of animals together with what they draw
5. a: delineation, representation b: scheme, design c: a preliminary sketch, outline, or version "the author's first ~" "a ~ treaty"
6: the act, result, or plan of drawing out or stretching
7. a: the act of drawing (as from a cask) b: a portion of liquid so drawn "a ~ of ale" c: draft beer "a glass of ~" 8: the depth of water a ship draws esp. when loaded
9. a (1): a system for or act of selecting individuals from a group (as for compulsory military service) (2): an act or process of selecting an individual (as for political candidacy) without his expressed consent b: a group of individuals selected esp. by military draft c: a system whereby exclusive rights to selected new players are apportioned among professional teams
10. a: an order for the payment of money drawn by one person or bank on another b: the act or an instance of drawing from or making demands upon something: demand 11 a: a current of air in a closed-in space "felt a ~" b: a device for regulating the flow of air (as in a fireplace) 12: angle, taper; specif: the taper given to a pattern or die so that the work can be easily withdrawn 13: a pocket of reduced air pressure behind a moving object; also: the use of such a draft to save energy -- on draft : ready to be drawn from a receptacle "beer on draft"
[2]draft adj (15c) 1: used or adapted for drawing loads "~ horses"
2: being or having been on draft "drinking ~ beer" [3]draft vt (1714) 1: to select for some purpose: as a: to conscript for military service b: to select (a professional athlete) by draft
2. a: to draw the preliminary sketch, version, or plan of b: compose, prepare
3: to draw off or away "water ~ed by pumps"
4: to stay close behind (another racer) so as to take advantage of the reduced air pressure created by the leading racer ~ vi 1: to practice draftsmanship
2: to draft another racer (as in car or bike racing) -- draft.able adj -- draft.ee n -- draft.er n