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raft
(raft, räft)
noun
- a flat, buoyant structure of logs, boards, barrels, etc. fastened together; specif., one used like a boat as in an emergency or in shallow water
- a similar structure anchored in a river or lake and used by divers, swimmers, etc.
- a flat-bottomed, inflatable device, as of rubber, for floating on water
Origin: ME rafte, beam, rafter < ON raptr, log: see rafter
transitive verb
- to transport on a raft
- to make into a raft
intransitive verb
to travel, work, etc. on a raft
noun
Informal a large number, collection, or quantity; lot
Origin: < raff, sense (with unhistoric -t)
See raft in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- A flat structure, typically made of planks, logs, or barrels, that floats on water and is used for transport or as a platform for swimmers.
- A flatbottom inflatable craft for floating or drifting on water: shooting the rapids in a rubber raft.
- To convey on a raft.
- To make into a raft.
To travel by raft.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Old Norse raptr, beam, rafter
.noun
Informal
A great number, amount, or collection: “As the prairie dog goes, conservation biologists say, so may go a raft of other creatures” (William K. Stevens).
Origin:
Origin: Alteration of dialectal raff, rubbish; see raffish
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