[drift] n [ME; akin to OE drifan to drive--more at drive] (14c) 1 a: the act of driving something along b: 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 a: wind-driven snow, rain, cloud, dust, or smoke usu. at or near the ground surface b (1): a mass of matter (as sand) deposited together by or as if by wind or water (2): a helter-skelter accumulation c: drove, flock d: something (as driftwood) washed ashore e: 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 3 a: a general underlying design or tendency b: the underlying meaning, import, or purport of what is spoken or written
4: something (as a tool) driven down upon or forced into a body
5: the motion or action of drifting esp. spatially and usu. under external influence: as a: the lateral motion of an aircraft due to air currents b: an easy moderate more or less steady flow or sweep along a spatial course c: a gradual shift in attitude, opinion, or position d: an aimless course; esp: a foregoing of any attempt at direction or control e: a deviation from a true reproduction, representation, or reading
6. a: a nearly horizontal mine passageway driven on or parallel to the course of a vein or rock stratum b: a small crosscut in a mine connecting two larger tunnels
7. a: an assumed trend toward a general change in the structure of a language over a period of time b: genetic drift c: a gradual change in the zero reading of an instrument or in any quantitative characteristic that is supposed to remain constant syn see tendency -- drifty adj
[2]drift vi (ca. 1600) 1 a: to become driven or carried along (as by a current of water, wind, or air) b: to move or float smoothly and effortlessly
2. a: to move along a line of least resistance b: to move in a random or casual way c: to become carried along subject to no guidance or control "the talk ~ed from topic to topic" 3 a: to accumulate in a mass or become piled up in heaps by wind or water b: to become covered with a drift
4: to vary or deviate from a set course or adjustment ~ vt 1 a: to cause to be driven in a current b West: to drive (livestock) slowly esp. to allow grazing
2. a: to pile in heaps b: to cover with drifts -- drift.ing.ly adv