It's the Word of the Day podcast for August 1st.
Today's word is spindrift, spelled as one word, S-P-I-N-D-R-I-F-T.
Spindrift is a noun.
It refers to spray blown from waves during a gale or to fine wind-borne snow or sand.
Here's the word used in a sentence from The Guardian.
White-capped waves crash far below the cliffs and sweep out to the horizon.
Spindrift tosses up mini rainbows and creamy plumes of sea froth float up and over.
Spindrift first set sail in English in the early 19th century under Scottish command.
The Scots had by that point been using speendrift for well over a century.
Their verb speen, spelled S-P-E-E-N, means to rush forcefully along with a strong wind.
So speendrift referred to a drift of salty sea spray during such sailing.
In the 1820s, English speakers recruited the word but signed it up as spindrift.
At that time, its sole duty was to refer to the driving sprays at sea.
By the mid-20th century, English speakers realized that spindrift had potential to serve on land as well,
and the word was sent ashore to be used for wind-borne snow and sand.
Today, spindrift still serves the language commendably by land and by sea.
With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.
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