float

A2 Topic:Materials & Substances

Also spelled float’n

US /floʊt/ UK /fləʊt/ See IPA manual

Freq #5643

Meanings

1

verb
To stay on the surface of a liquid instead of sinking.

Wood floats on water.
2

verb
To move slowly and gently through the air or water.

The balloon floated up into the sky.
3

verb
To allow a currency's value to change freely according to the market.

The government decided to float the currency.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms floatedfloatingfloats

Derived forms afloatarmfloatdefloatfirefloatfloatabilityfloatablefloatantfloatboardfloatelfloaterfloatiefloatless

Etymology

From Middle English floten, from Old English flotian (“to float”), from Proto-West Germanic *flotōn, from Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewd-, *plew- (“to float, swim, fly”). Compare flow, fleet.

*plew- Proto-Indo-European floten Middle English flotian Old English *flotōn Proto-West Germanic *flutōną Proto-Germanic *plewd- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

External links

# float

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /floʊt/
**IPA (UK):** /fləʊt/
**Frequency rank:** 5643

## Meanings
1. To stay on the surface of a liquid instead of sinking.
2. To move slowly and gently through the air or water.
3. To allow a currency's value to change freely according to the market.

## Examples
- Wood floats on water.
- The balloon floated up into the sky.
- The government decided to float the currency.

## Derived Forms
- afloat
- armfloat
- defloat
- firefloat
- floatability
- floatable
- floatant
- floatboard
- floatel
- floater
- floatie
- floatless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *plew-
- Root: floten
- Root: flotian
- Root: *flotōn
- Root: *flutōną
- Root: *plewd-

## Etymology
From Middle English floten, from Old English flotian (“to float”), from Proto-West Germanic *flotōn, from Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewd-, *plew- (“to float, swim, fly”). Compare flow, fleet.

## AI Etymology
Float comes from Middle English floten, from Old English flotian (“to float”), from Proto-West Germanic *flotōn, from Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewd-, *plew- (“to float, swim, fly”). Compare flow, fleet. In current use, the main senses are “To stay on the surface of a liquid instead of sinking” and “To move slowly and gently through the air or water”.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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float

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