raft

raft
raft1
/raft, rahft/, n.
1. a more or less rigid floating platform made of buoyant material or materials: an inflatable rubber raft.
2. a collection of logs, planks, casks, etc., fastened together for floating on water.
3. See life raft.
4. a slab of reinforced concrete providing a footing on yielding soil, usually for a whole building, so that the weight of the soil that would be displaced by the settlement of the building exceeds the weight of the building itself; mat.
v.t.
5. to transport on a raft.
6. to form (logs or the like) into a raft.
7. to travel or cross by raft.
8. (of an ice floe) to transport (embedded organic or rock debris) from the shore out to sea.
v.i.
9. to use a raft; go or travel on a raft.
10. (of an ice floe) to overlap another ice floe.
[1250-1300; ME rafte, perh. < ON raptr RAFTER1]
raft2
/raft, rahft/, n. Informal.
a great quantity; a lot: a raft of trouble.
[1825-35; var. of RAFF large number (ME: abundance)]

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      simplest type of watercraft, made up of logs or planks fastened together to form a floating platform. The earliest were sometimes made of bundles of reeds. Most rafts have been designed simply to float with the current, but they can be equipped with oars or sails or both and can be navigated in the ocean over long distances, as was dramatically demonstrated by Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl (Heyerdahl, Thor) in 1947; to test his theory that the Pacific islands might have been settled by people from South America, he sailed a large balsa raft, the Kon-Tiki, from Peru to islands near Tahiti in a voyage of three and a half months. The double-hulled catamarans of India are also seaworthy rafts.

      Rigid or inflatable rafts have become common supplements to lifeboats on ships of all kinds; the inflatable kind can also be carried by aircraft for use in the event of a forced landing in the water or for dropping to aid victims of accidents at sea.

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  • raft — raft1 [raft, räft] n. [ME rafte, beam, rafter < ON raptr, log: see RAFTER1] 1. a flat, buoyant structure of logs, boards, barrels, etc. fastened together; specif., one used like a boat as in an emergency or in shallow water 2. a similar… …   English World dictionary

  • Raft — Raft, n. [Originally, a rafter, spar, and fr. Icel. raptr a rafter; akin to Dan. raft, Prov. G. raff a rafter, spar; cf. OHG. r[=a]fo, r[=a]vo, a beam, rafter, Icel. r[=a]f roof. Cf. {Rafter}, n.] 1. A collection of logs, boards, pieces of timber …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • raft — [ raft ] n. m. • 1985; mot angl. ♦ Embarcation gonflable insubmersible manœuvrée à la pagaie et utilisée pour la descente des rapides (⇒ rafting). ● raft nom masculin (mot anglais) Radeau pneumatique pour la pratique du rafting. raft n. m.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • raft — [rɑːft ǁ ræft] noun a raft of something a large number of things: • There has been a raft of new laws aimed at giving better protection to children in the past few years. * * * raft UK US /rɑːft/ US  /ræft/ noun [C] ● a raft of sth Cf. a raft of… …   Financial and business terms

  • Raft — Raft, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Rafted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Rafting}.] To transport on a raft, or in the form of a raft; to make into a raft; as, to raft timber. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Raft — 〈n. 15〉 schwimmende Insel [engl., „Floß“] * * * Raft, das; s, s [engl. raft, eigtl. = Floß, zu: rafter = (Dach)sparren, aus dem Anord.]: 1. schwimmende Insel aus [Treib]holz. 2. Schlauchboot, mit dem Rafting betrieben wird. * * * Raft, das; s, s… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • raft — Ⅰ. raft [1] ► NOUN 1) a flat buoyant structure of timber or other materials fastened together, used as a boat or floating platform. 2) a small inflatable boat. 3) a floating mass of fallen trees, ice, etc. ► VERB ▪ travel or transport on or as if …   English terms dictionary

  • Raft — bezeichnet: ein Rafting, mit dem ein Fluss, gewöhnlich schwereres Wildwasser, befahren wird. in der Zellbiologie Lipid Rafts, Cholesterin reiche Lipid „Inseln“ in Plasmamembran Leaflets. Raft ist der Familienname folgender Personen: George Raft… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • raft — [ra:ft US ræft] n [Sense: 1, 3 4; Date: 1200 1300; : Old Norse; Origin: raptr large piece of wood, rafter ] [Sense: 2; Date: 1800 1900; Origin: raff mixture of things (17 19 centuries), influenced by RAFT1] 1.) a flat floating structure, usually… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • raft — [ ræft ] noun count 1. ) a simple flat boat made by tying long pieces of wood together a ) a small light boat made of rubber or plastic 2. ) a flat structure that floats on a lake, river, etc. that people can swim to and lie on a raft of INFORMAL …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Raft — (r[.a]ft), obs. imp. & p. p. of {Reave}. Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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