driftwood

[ drift-wood ]

noun

1. wood floating on a body of water or cast ashore by it.
2. such wood adapted for use in interior decoration.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or made of driftwood:

   a driftwood lamp.

driftwood

/ ˈdrɪftˌwʊd /

noun

1. wood floating on or washed ashore by the sea or other body of water

Word History and Origins

Origin of driftwood¹

First recorded in 1605–15; drift + wood ¹

Example Sentences

More fanciful ones, such as the life-size Tyrannosaurus rex made of driftwood, make up a path he named Whimsy Way.

From Washington Post

In Olympic, if you’re planning to hike along the rugged, driftwood-covered coast, you’ll first need to consult a tide chart to time your trek just right.

From Outside Online

He cooks on a fire if it’s legal to have one in the area, bringing tinfoil to wrap calorie-dense foods like potatoes and sausages together so they can be thrown on the driftwood coals.

From Outside Online

They built a house out of driftwood and blocks of snow, and the men spent their days hiking and collecting scientific data.

From Ozy

Immediately after the hurricane, for example, rain-saturated driftwood and debris would have been useless.

From The Daily Beast

“Trickle-down government” is just another piece of American political driftwood to wash ashore this year.

From The Daily Beast

The only training BP has provided for the public is to teach us how to safely pick up trash and driftwood from our own beaches.

From The Daily Beast

They are votaries of the weed, making their pipes either out of driftwood, or of the bones of animals they have used for food.

From Project Gutenberg

We were mere atoms in a vast wave of horn and bone and flesh that bore us onward as the tide floats driftwood.

From Project Gutenberg

He felt as Columbus felt when he saw the land bird alighting upon his ship and the driftwood floating by.

From Project Gutenberg

Walking, half awake, Ida floundered among the boulders and through a horrible maze of whitened driftwood cast up by the stream.

From Project Gutenberg

A huge pile of driftwood was brought up from the shore and heaped on the fire by the ledge.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• chunk
• piece
• timber
• wood