US /ˈdrɪftwʊd/ UK /ˈdrɪftwʊd/
noun Freq #34904

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    wood carried along by a river, lake, or sea, or washed ashore by the water

    They gathered dry driftwood from above the tide line for the fire.

  2. 2
    noun

    pieces of weathered wood collected for decoration, craft, or fuel

    The sculptor assembled the bird from driftwood found along the coast.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · wood carried along by a... floating timberwashed-up wood
2 noun · pieces of weathered wood... weathered woodbeach wood
Word family
Related forms flotsamjetsamwracktide line

Etymology

A compound of drift + wood. Drift is related to drive and originally referred to something driven or carried along. The word names timber transported by a current and later also the bleached, weathered material gathered from shores for fuel, decoration, or art.

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