spoondrift

See also: spoon-drift

English

Etymology

Probably a variant of Scots spindrift. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests it is derived from spoon +‎ drift (mass of matter driven or forced onward together in a body, etc., especially by wind or water), spoon being a variant of spoom (to sail briskly with the wind astern, with or without sails hoisted),[1] but this is doubted by the Scottish National Dictionary: see spindrift.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈspuːndɹɪft/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈspundɹɪft/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Hyphenation: spoon‧drift

Noun

spoondrift (countable and uncountable, plural spoondrifts) (archaic)

  1. (nautical, archaic) Alternative form of spindrift.

Alternative forms

References

  1. ^ spoondrift, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2019.

Anagrams