# draught

Pronunciation: UK say "DRAHFT" /dɹɑːft/; US say "DRAFT" /dɹæft/; AUS say "DRAWT" /dɹɔt/

## Noun

1. A stream of moving air inside a room or another enclosed space.
   - Simple: Air that moves through a room or another closed space.
   - _We fitted a strip of foam round the frame to stop the draught._
   - _The old sash windows let in draughts that the radiators could never keep up with._
3. The drink itself, usually beer, that is drawn from a cask or keg rather than bottled or canned, spoken of as something to order or drink.
   - Simple: Beer or another drink that comes from a big barrel, not from a bottle.
   - _The pub keeps six real ales on draught as well as a local cider._
   - _He ordered a pint of draught and a packet of crisps and sat down by the fire._
4. A deep gulp of a drink, or as much liquid as is taken in one gulp.
   - Simple: A big swallow of a drink, or how much you drink in one go.
   - _The walker unscrewed his flask and took a deep draught of hot tea._
   - _She drained the glass in a single draught and asked for another._
8. A playing piece moved about the board in a game of draughts.
   - Simple: One of the pieces you move around the board when you play draughts.
   - _One black draught was missing, so we used a button instead._
   - _Once a draught reaches the far side of the board, it is crowned and becomes a king._
5. The depth of water a vessel requires to stay afloat, measured from its waterline down to the underside of the hull.
   - Simple: How deep the water must be for a ship to float, from the surface to the bottom of the ship.
   - _With a draught of under a metre, the narrowboat can reach the upper stretches of the canal._
   - _The largest container ships have such deep draughts that only a handful of ports can take them._

## Adjective

2. Describing a drink served straight from a tap rather than poured from a bottle.
   - Simple: Describes a drink that comes from a tap at the bar, not from a bottle.
   - _The bar keeps four draught ales and a draught cider on at the weekend._
   - _He insists that draught stout tastes smoother than the bottled kind._
6. Used of an animal whose work is hauling heavy loads.
   - Simple: Describes an animal that is used to pull heavy loads.
   - _Shire horses were once the most common draught animals on English farms._
   - _A pair of draught oxen dragged the cart slowly up the hill._

## Verb

7. To draw something in outline, or prepare a sketch or plan of it, as in architectural and engineering drawing.
   - Simple: To draw the outline or plan of something, such as a building or a machine.
   - _The practice needs someone to draught the elevations for the new library._
   - _He spent the whole week draughting a new gearbox at the drawing board._

## Noun

9. A single measured quantity of medicine in liquid form, taken by drinking it. *(dated)*
   - Simple: An amount of medicine that you drink.
   - _The nurse gave him a sleeping draught and turned out the light._
   - _Before leaving, the doctor mixed a sleeping draught and told her to drink it all just before bed._
10. A picture of any kind, including a drawing. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Any picture that someone has drawn or made.
11. A surprise assault on an enemy, made without warning. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A quick surprise attack made on an enemy.
12. A privy, or the cesspit beneath it into which human waste was emptied. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An old word for a toilet outside the house, or the pit under it where the waste went.
13. A gentle blistering agent applied to the skin. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A gentle treatment put on the skin to make a small blister.

## Origin

It comes down from Middle English draught or draght, and before that from an Old English form, not found in writing, that was related to dragan ("to draw, drag"). That form goes back to Proto-Germanic *drahtuz, a noun built from *draganą. Put simply, it is draw + -t.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/draught (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).