drifter

English

Etymology

From drift +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɪftə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɪftɚ/

Noun

drifter (plural drifters)

1. (sometimes derogatory) A person who moves from place to place or job to job.
2. (nautical) A type of lightweight sail used in light winds like a spinnaker.
   • 1995, Ken Textor, The New Book of Sail Trim (page 85)

     In winds above 10 knots we usually run wing-and-wing with our 100 percent lapper set on a whisker pole opposite the mainsail. As the wind drops, we get out the drifter and set it flying to leeward (Fig. 1).

   • 1999, Lin Pardey, Larry Pardey, Cost Conscious Cruiser: Champagne Cruising on a Beer Budget

     After trying a variety of light-wind sails, we've found the most versatile and simple one to be a nylon drifter.

   • 2000, Jim Howard, Charles J. Doane, Handbook of Offshore Cruising (page 178)

     Some people recommend a medium- to lightweight 140- or 150-percent headsail, and others go for a drifter/reacher.

3. (automotive) A driver who uses driving techniques to modify vehicle traction to cause a vehicle to slide or power slide rather than drive in line with the tires.
   • 2006, Paul Morton, How to Drift: The Art of Oversteer (page 32)

     However, sensing the available traction may actually be more important to a drifter.

   • 2007, Calvin Wan, Calvin Wan's Drifting Performance Handbook (page 132)

     For professional drifters looking for even more fine-tuning of their suspension setups, some companies offer more advanced two-way adjustable shocks […]

   • 2009, Michael Bender, The Fast, the Fraudulent and the Fatal (page 50)

     While this method is used by a few drifters in rear-wheel drive cars, this technique is really the only way one can drift in a front-wheel drive car.

4. (fishing) One who takes part in drift fishing.
5. (fishing) A boat used for drift fishing.
6. (mining, historical) A person employed in driving in rock other than coal.

Related terms

• drift fishing
• drift net

Translations

person

• French: vagabond (fr) m
• Italian: vagabondo (it), giramondo (it) m, persona alla deriva f
• Maori: kaiparo, hākoke, kaewa, kaipaoe, kaipāwe, mōnaroa
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Serbo-Croatian: skitnica (sh), lutalica (sh), frenter (sh)
• Spanish: trotamundo m

sail

• Finnish: drifteri
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: fiocco (it) m

Further reading

• drifter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Drift netting on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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Swedish

Noun

drifter

1. (deprecated template usage) indefinite plural of drift