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Sail vs Raft - What's the difference?

sail | raft |

As nouns the difference between sail and raft

is that sail is salt while raft is a flat structure made of planks, barrels etc, that floats on water, and is used for transport, emergencies or a platform for swimmers or raft can be a large (but unspecified) number, a lot.

As a verb raft is

to convey on a raft or raft can be (reave).

sail

English

(wikipedia sail)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) 'to cut'. More at saw.

Noun

(en noun)
  • (nautical) A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.
  • * : Scene 1: 496-497
  • When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive / And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind;
  • (uncountable) The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use this power for travel or transport.
  • A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.
  • Let's go for a sail .
  • (dated) A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft. Plural sail .
  • Twenty sail were in sight.
  • The blade of a windmill.
  • A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
  • The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
  • (fishing) A sailfish.
  • We caught three sails today.
  • (paleontology) an outward projection of the
  • Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
  • * Spenser
  • Like an eagle soaring / To weather his broad sails .
    Hyponyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * balloon sail * by sail * drag sail * dragon sail * point of sail * sailback * sailboard * sailboat * sailcloth * sailer * sailfish * sailing * studding sail * set sail * take the wind out of someone's sails * topsail * working sail

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) , cognate to earlier Middle Low German segelen and its descendant Low German sailen.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
  • To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
  • To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
  • To set sail; to begin a voyage.
  • We sail for Australia tomorrow.
  • To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
  • * Shakespeare
  • As is a winged messenger of heaven, / When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds, / And sails upon the bosom of the air.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=April 15 , author=Saj Chowdhury , title=Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=A hopeful ball from Forest right-back Brendan Moloney to the left edge of the area was met first by Ruddy but his attempted clearance rebounded off Tyson's leg and sailed in.}}
  • To move briskly.
  • Derived terms
    * sail close to the wind

    raft

    English

    (wikipedia raft)

    Etymology 1

    From Scandinavian; compare West (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A flat structure made of planks, barrels etc., that floats on water, and is used for transport, emergencies or a platform for swimmers.
  • A flat-bottomed inflatable craft for floating or drifting on water.
  • A thick crowd of seabirds or sea mammals.
  • (US) A collection of logs, fallen trees, etc. which obstructs navigation in a river.
  • (slang, informal) A large collection of people or things taken indiscriminately.
  • * W. D. Howells
  • a whole raft of folks
    Derived terms
    * life raft

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • to convey on a raft
  • to make into a raft
  • to travel by raft
  • Etymology 2

    Alteration of (raff).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A large (but unspecified) number, a lot.
  • * 2007 , Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon , Blue Bridge 2008, p. 31:
  • Among those arrested was the grand master himself, Jacques de Molay, who found himself facing a raft of charges based on the specious evidence of former knights [...].

    Etymology 3

    Verb

    (head)
  • (reave)
  • (Spenser)

    Anagrams

    * * * * ----