noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈdɹɪftwʊd/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:D R IH1 F T W UH2 D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Floating wood that drifts with the current of a body of water.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Such a piece of wood that has been cast ashore.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
wood that is floating or that has been washed ashore
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: wood
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English drift Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dheh1- Proto-Indo-European *h1weydhh1- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *(h1)wéydh(h1)us Proto-Germanic *widuz Proto-West Germanic *widu Old English widu Old English wudu Middle English wode English wood English driftwood From drift + wood.
Across languages
Translations
36 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Cornish:
dryftbren
— floating piece(s) of wood
Dutch:
drijfhout
— floating piece(s) of wood
Faroese:
rekaviður
— floating piece(s) of wood
Finnish:
ajopuu
— floating piece(s) of wood
French:
bois flotté
— floating piece(s) of wood
German:
Treibholz
— floating piece(s) of wood
Icelandic:
rekaviður
— floating piece(s) of wood
Irish:
adhmad raice
— floating piece(s) of wood
Māori:
paewai
— floating piece(s) of wood
Mokilese:
koahpehpe
— floating piece(s) of wood
Norwegian:
rekved
— floating piece(s) of wood
Norwegian:
drivved
— floating piece(s) of wood
Romanian:
răgălie
— floating piece(s) of wood
Russian:
плавник
(plavnik)
— floating piece(s) of wood
Swedish:
drivved
— floating piece(s) of wood
Welsh:
broc môr
— floating piece(s) of wood
Cornish:
dryftbren
— wood that has been cast ashore
Danish:
drivtømmer
— wood that has been cast ashore
Faroese:
rekaviður
— wood that has been cast ashore
Finnish:
ajopuu
— wood that has been cast ashore
French:
bois flotté
— wood that has been cast ashore
German:
Treibholz
— wood that has been cast ashore
Irish:
adhmad raice
— wood that has been cast ashore
Māori:
paewai
— wood that has been cast ashore
Māori:
tāwhaowhao
— wood that has been cast ashore
Māori:
porotāwhao
— wood that has been cast ashore
Māori:
punipuni
— wood that has been cast ashore
Māori:
pakawai
— wood that has been cast ashore
Māori:
pūwai
— wood that has been cast ashore
Māori:
tītītai
— wood that has been cast ashore
Romanian:
răgălie
— wood that has been cast ashore
Russian:
плавник
(plavnik)
— wood that has been cast ashore
