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Definitions for Driftless

[1] a driving movement or force; impulse; impetus; pressure.
[2] Navigation . (of a ship) the component of the movement that is due to the force of wind and currents.
[3] Oceanography . a broad, shallow ocean current that advances at the rate of 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) a day.
[4] Nautical . the flow or the speed in knots of an ocean current. the distance between the end of a rope and the part in use. the distance between two blocks in a tackle. the difference in diameter between two parts, one of which fits within the other, as a mast and its mast hoops, or a treenail and its hole.
[5] Aeronautics . the deviation of an aircraft from a set course due to cross winds.
[6] the course along which something moves; tendency; aim: The drift of political events after the war was toward chaos.
[7] meaning; intent; purport: the drift of a statement.
[8] something driven, as animals, rain, etc.
[9] a heap of any matter driven together.
[10] a snowdrift.
[11] Geology . glacial drift.
[12] the state or process of being driven.
[13] overbearing power or influence.
[14] Military . a tool used in charging an ordnance piece.
[15] Electronics . a gradual change in some operating characteristic of a circuit, tube, or other electronic device, either during a brief period as an effect of warming up or during a long period as an effect of continued use. the movement of charge carriers in a semiconductor due to the influence of an applied voltage.
[16] Linguistics . gradual change in the structure of a language.
[17] Machinery . Also called driftpin. a round, tapering piece of steel for enlarging holes in metal, or for bringing holes in line to receive rivets or bolts. a flat, tapered piece of steel used to drive tools with tapered shanks, as drill bits, from their holders.
[18] Civil Engineering . a secondary tunnel between two main tunnels or shafts.
[19] Mining . an approximately horizontal passageway in underground mining.
[20] Physics . the movement of charged particles under the influence of an electric field.
[21] Aerospace . the gradual deviation of a rocket or guided missile from its intended trajectory.
[22] Mechanics . displacement of the gimbals of a gyroscope due to friction on bearings, unbalance of the gyroscope's mass or other imperfections.
[23] the thrust of an arched structure.
[24] Dentistry . a shift of the teeth from their normal position in the dental arch.
[25] Western U.S. a flock of animals or birds.
[26] to be carried along by currents of water or air, or by the force of circumstances.
[27] to wander aimlessly: He drifts from town to town.
[28] to be driven into heaps, as by the wind: drifting sand.
[29] to deviate or vary from a set course or adjustment.
[30] to carry along: The current drifted the boat to sea.
[31] to drive into heaps: The wind drifted the snow.
[32] Machinery . to enlarge (a punched or drilled hole) with a drift. to align or straighten (holes, especially rivet holes) with a drift.
[33] drift off , to fall asleep gradually.
[34] (also tr) to be carried along by or as if by currents of air or water or (of a current) to carry (a vessel, etc) along
[35] to move aimlessly from place to place or from one activity to another
[36] to wander or move gradually away from a fixed course or point; stray
[37] (also tr) (of snow, sand, etc) to accumulate in heaps or banks or to drive (snow, sand, etc) into heaps or banks
[38] something piled up by the wind or current, such as a snowdrift
[39] tendency, trend, meaning, or purport the drift of the argument
[40] a state of indecision or inaction
[41] the extent to which a vessel, aircraft, projectile, etc is driven off its course by adverse winds, tide, or current
[42] a general tendency of surface ocean water to flow in the direction of the prevailing winds North Atlantic Drift
[43] a driving movement, force, or influence; impulse
[44] a controlled four-wheel skid, used by racing drivers to take bends at high speed
[45] a loose unstratified deposit of sand, gravel, etc, esp one transported and deposited by a glacier or ice sheet
[46] a horizontal passage in a mine that follows the mineral vein
[47] something, esp a group of animals, driven along by human or natural agencies a drift of cattle
[48] Also called: driftpin a tapering steel tool driven into holes to enlarge or align them before bolting or riveting
[49] an uncontrolled slow change in some operating characteristic of a piece of equipment, esp an electronic circuit or component
[50] linguistics gradual change in a language, esp in so far as this is influenced by the internal structure of the language rather than by contact with other languages
[51] Southern African a ford
[52] engineering a copper or brass bar used as a punch

Words related to Driftless

driftaimless, unplanned, irregular, accidental, incidental, indiscriminate, arbitrary, odd, adventitious, casual, contingent, desultory, fluky, fortuitous, hit-or-miss, promiscuous, purposeless, slapdash, spot, stray

Words nearby Driftless

driftdriegh, drier, dries, driesch, driest, drift, drift anchor, drift angle, drift ice, drift indicator, drift lead

Origin of Driftless

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English drift, noun derivative of the Old English verb drīfan drive; cognate with Dutch drift “herd, flock,” German Trift “herd, pasturage, road to pasture”

Other words from Driftless

drift·ing·ly , adverb
drift·less , adjective
drift·less·ness , noun
un·drift·ing , adjective

Word origin for Driftless

C13: from Old Norse: snowdrift; related to Old High German trift pasturage

Synonyms for Driftless

accidental, aimless, arbitrary, incidental, indiscriminate, irregular, odd, unplanned, adventitious, casual, contingent, designless, desultory, fluky, fortuitous, hit-or-miss, objectless, promiscuous, purposeless, slapdash, spot, stray, unaimed, unconsidered, unpremeditated