Where does “drift” come from?

Drift comes from Middle English drift, from Old English drift, from Proto-Germanic driftiz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰreybʰ-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰer-.

drift (English): Movement; that which moves or is moved; The act...

Definitions

  1. Movement; that which moves or is moved; The act...

Ancestry of “drift”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdrift—
2Old Englishdriftan act of driving (cattle, herds, etc.); movement
3Proto-Germanicdriftizdriving
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰreybʰ-to drive, push
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold

Words derived from “drift”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- →