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spindrift (SPIN-drift) or spoondrift (SPOON-drift) - n., sea-spray blown from wave crests during a gale along the surface of the water; fine sand or dust blown along the surface of the ground.
The second sense being a late 19th century extension by landsmen after adopting the word from sailors. English-speaking sailors got it from Scots, but before that the etymology is obscure -- the claim that it's from spoom, to sail briskly with the wind astern, doesn't hold water as the spoondrift variant showed up later. Regardless, I love the word.
---L.
The second sense being a late 19th century extension by landsmen after adopting the word from sailors. English-speaking sailors got it from Scots, but before that the etymology is obscure -- the claim that it's from spoom, to sail briskly with the wind astern, doesn't hold water as the spoondrift variant showed up later. Regardless, I love the word.
---L.
