*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of adrift

Etymology tree English a- Proto-Germanic *drībaną Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Germanic *-þiz Proto-Germanic *driftiz Old English *drift Middle English drift English drift English adrift The adverb is derived from a-

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Drifting (especially on water) without being propelled or steered. · Of a person or group of people: having no aim or direction; aimless, lost. · Of a sailor: absent without leave or permission. · Of an object: no longer attached in position; detached, loose, unattached, unfastened; also, lost, missing.

adv

In or into a drifting condition; moved (especially on water by waves and wind) without being propelled or steered. · Not in the expected or usual place or position; awry; also, not following the expected or usual course; astray, off course. · In an unattached or unfastened condition; apart, loose, off. · Chiefly followed by of: in a position or having a score behind that of another competitor or an opponent.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree English a- Proto-Germanic *drībaną Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Germanic *-þiz Proto-Germanic *driftiz Old English *drift Middle English drift English drift English adrift The adverb is derived from a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’ showing conditions, manners, or states) + drift (noun), probably modelled after afloat. The adjective is probably derived from the adverb, as it is attested later.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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        "nodot": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂en-der.\nProto-Germanic *an\nProto-West Germanic *ana\nOld English on\nMiddle English an\nMiddle English a-\nEnglish a-\nProto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ-der.\nProto-Germanic *drībaną\nProto-Indo-European *-tis\nProto-Germanic *-þiz\nProto-Germanic *driftiz\nOld English *drift\nMiddle English drift\nEnglish drift\nEnglish adrift"
    }
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      "*-tis",
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    ],
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      "*-þiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-þiz"
    ],
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      "*driftiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/driftiz"
    ],
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      "*drift",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/drift"
    ],
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "adj",
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        "Drifting (especially on water) without being propelled or steered.",
        "Of a person or group of people: having no aim or direction; aimless, lost.",
        "Of a sailor: absent without leave or permission.",
        "Of an object: no longer attached in position; detached, loose, unattached, unfastened; also, lost, missing."
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        "In or into a drifting condition; moved (especially on water by waves and wind) without being propelled or steered.",
        "Not in the expected or usual place or position; awry; also, not following the expected or usual course; astray, off course.",
        "In an unattached or unfastened condition; apart, loose, off.",
        "Chiefly followed by of: in a position or having a score behind that of another competitor or an opponent."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for adrift →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-YWRyaWZ0