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spindrift

[ spin-drift ]
/ ˈspɪnˌdrɪft /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spindrift ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

spray swept by a violent wind along the surface of the sea.

RELATED WORDS

aerosol, sprinkler, swell, wave, scum, foam, froth, splash, fog, moisture, drizzle, duster, atomizer, vaporizer, combers, rollers, effervescence, head, yeast, scud

Nearby words

  1. spindleage,
  2. spindlelegs,
  3. spindleshanks,
  4. spindling,
  5. spindly,
  6. spine,
  7. spine of scapula,
  8. spine-bashing,
  9. spine-chiller,
  10. spine-chilling
Also spoondrift.

Origin of spindrift

1590–1600; variant of Scots speendrift spoondrift
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spindrift

British Dictionary definitions for spindrift

spindrift

/ (ˈspɪnˌdrɪft) /

noun

spray blown up from the surface of the sea
powdery snow blown off a mountain
Nontechnical name: spoondrift

Word Origin for spindrift

C17: of Scottish origin, possibly from a variant of obsolete spoon to scud + drift
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for spindrift

spindrift

n.

c.1600, Scottish formation from verb spene, alteration of spoon "to sail before the wind" (1570s, of uncertain origin) + drift. "Common in English writers from c 1880, probably at first under the influence of W. Black's novels" [OED].

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper