Meanings
plural spindrifts · alternative speendrift · alternative spoondrift
- countableuncountablenauticalSea spray (clouds of water droplets) blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea.
The ocean waves are broken up by wind, ultimately producing the storm-wrack and spin-drift of the tempest-tossed sea.
1900, John E[dward] Marr, “Production of Dominant Forms”, in The Scientific Study of Scenery, New York, N.Y.: New Amsterdam Book Co.; London: Methuen & Co., →OCLC, page 223 more examples
There was no snow as yet up here at Dare; but wild tempests shaking the house to its foundations; and brief gleams of stormy sunlight lighting up the grey spindrift as it was whirled shorewards from the breaking seas; […]
1878, William Black, “First Impressions”, in Macleod of Dare. […], volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 252[T]ogether they watched the bobbing black specks as they crawled out of the estuary into the grey spindrift which marked the harbour mouth.
1921 August–September, John Buchan, “The Gorbals Die-hards Go into Action”, in Huntingtower, London; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons, published July 1924, →OCLC, page 271The tide rocks were spouting spray and the wind drove the spindrift in their faces, and they scrambled awkwardly over and round the rock masses tumbled from the cliff face on the flat ledge at sea-level.
1938, Norman Lindsay, chapter XXI, in Age of Consent, London: T[homas] Werner Laurie […], →OCLC, page 225
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Scotsspindrift
- Englishspindrift
Borrowed from Scots spindrift; further etymology uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests it is a variant of spoondrift (archaic), apparently due to the pronunciation of this word in southwestern Scotland, which is derived from spoon + drift (“mass of matter driven or forced onward together in a body, etc., especially by wind or water”); spoon is a variant of spoom (“to sail briskly with the wind astern, with or without sails hoisted”). However, this is doubted by the Scottish National Dictionary because spoondrift is attested later than spindrift and it seems unlikely that the Scots spelling would have superseded the English one, and because the early use of the Scots word in the form spenedrift by James Melville (1556–1614) is unlikely to have derived from spoondrift. The word was popularized in English from the late 19th century by its use in the novels of the Scottish-born author William Black (1841–1898): see, for example, the 1878 quotation.
More words from Scots
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian водни пръски
- водни пръски (vodni prăski)sea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
Chinese Mandarin 浪花(兒) /浪花
- 浪花(兒) /浪花sea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
Finnish pärske
- pärskesea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
French embrun
- embrunsea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
German Gischt
- Gischtsea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
Korean 물보라, 눈보라
- 물보라 (mulbora)sea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
- 눈보라 (nunbora)clouds of sand, snow, etc., whipped along the ground by the wind
- 모래보라 (moraebora)clouds of sand, snow, etc., whipped along the ground by the wind
Scottish Gaelic cathadh-mara
- cathadh-marasea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
Vietnamese bụi nước
- bụi nướcsea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
Welsh llwch y môr
- llwch y môrsea spray blown from the tops of waves by the wind and whipped along the surface of the sea
Cite this entry
spindrift. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spindrift
“spindrift.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spindrift. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spindrift,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spindrift.
Source: spindrift on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.