<B>draft, </B>noun, verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a current of air, especially in a room, chimney, stove, or any enclosed space. <BR> <I>Ex. I caught cold from sitting in a draft.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a device for controlling a current of air in a fireplace, stove, or other place for holding a fire. <BR> <I>Ex. He opened the draft of the furnace to make the fire burn faster.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a plan; sketch. <BR> <I>Ex. Before building, he had the architect make a draft of how the finished house should look.</I> (SYN) outline, delineation. <DD><B> 4. </B>a rough copy. <BR> <I>Ex. He made three different drafts of his book report before he handed it in in final form.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>the selection of persons for some special purpose. Men needed as soldiers are supplied to the army by draft. (SYN) levy. <DD><B> 6. </B>the persons selected for special service. <DD><B> 7. </B>the act of pulling loads. <DD><B> 8. </B>the quantity pulled. <BR> <I>Ex. That draft is too much for my team of horses to pull.</I> (SYN) load. <DD><B> 9a. </B>the pulling in of a net to catch fish. <DD><B> b. </B>all the fish caught in one drawing of a net. <DD><B> 10. </B>a heavy demand or drain on anything. <BR> <I>Ex. Her long illness was a draft on her resources.</I> <DD><B> 11. </B>a note to a bank, ordering that a certain sum of money be paid to the person named. (SYN) bill of exchange. <DD><B> 12. </B>the depth of water that a ship needs for floating or the depth to which a ship sinks into the water. A ship's draft is greater when it is loaded than when it is empty. <DD><B> 13a. </B>a single act of drinking. <BR> <I>Ex. I emptied the glass at one draft.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the amount taken in one drink. <DD><B> c. </B>the breathing in of air, smoke, and the like. <DD><B> d. </B>air, smoke, and the like, breathed in. <DD><B> e. </B>the drawing of beer, ale, or wine directly from a barrel when ordered. Beer is sold on draft and in cans or bottles. <DD><B> 14. </B>(Masonry.) a line or border chiseled at the edge of a stone to serve as a guide in leveling the surface. <DD><B> 15. </B>(Metallurgy.) the slight taper given to a pattern for a casting so that it may be removed from the sand without harming the mold. <DD><B> 16. </B>the area of an opening for a flow of water, as in a sluice gate. <DD><B> 17. </B>(Commerce.) a small allowance made for waste of certain goods sold by weight. <DD><B> 18. </B>(U.S.) a gully; glen. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make a plan or a sketch of. <BR> <I>Ex. It was well drafted to appeal to our Allies, neutrals, and the captive peoples (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to write out a rough copy of. <BR> <I>Ex. Three members of the club drafted a set of rules to be discussed and voted on by the membership.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to select for some special purpose, especially, to conscript (persons) for military service. <BR> <I>Ex. At eighteen he was drafted. The army drafted millions of young men. The convention drafted the President for a second term.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to draw off or away. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Masonry.) to cut a draft on (a stone). <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>for pulling loads. <BR> <I>Ex. A big, strong horse or ox is a draft animal.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>drawn up in rough or sketchy form. <BR> <I>Ex. a draft letter.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>drawn from a barrel when ordered. <BR> <I>Ex. The customers ordered draft beer.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="draftable">
<B>draftable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>that can be drafted. <DD><B> 2. </B>eligible for a draft. <BR> <I>Ex. A steamship company wouldn't hire him because he's draftable (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="draftboard">
<B>draft board,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a board of appointed officials for selecting and drafting men who are eligible for military service. <BR> <I>Ex. The ordinary life of a young man is turned quite about at the moment the mail brings him that well-known communication from the draft board in which are extended to him certain greetings from the President of the United States (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="draftcard">
<B>draft card,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a card identifying a man for the selection process of military service. </DL>
<A NAME="draftdodger">
<B>draft dodger,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Informal.) a man who seeks to avoid being drafted into military service. </DL>
<A NAME="draftee">
<B>draftee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who is drafted for military service. </DL>
<A NAME="drafter">
<B>drafter, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who drafts. <BR> <I>Ex. the drafters of the Constitution of the United States.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a draft horse. </DL>
<A NAME="drafthorse">
<B>draft horse,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a horse for pulling heavy loads. </DL>
<A NAME="draftily">
<B>draftily, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a drafty manner. </DL>
<A NAME="draftiness">
<B>draftiness, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> drafty quality or condition. <BR> <I>Ex. The house was not insulated and he noticed its draftiness.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="drafting">
<B>drafting, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the work of a draftsman; mechanical drawing. </DL>
<A NAME="draftingboard">
<B>drafting board,</B> =drawing board.</DL>
<A NAME="draftingpaper">
<B>drafting paper,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a hard grade of paper for use by draftsmen. </DL>
<A NAME="draftingroom">
<B>drafting room,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a room or office in which drafting is done. <BR> <I>Ex. The decorative arts will eventually find their way back to the drafting room (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="draftlottery">
<B>draft lottery,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a system of drafting eligible men for military service by a chance drawing of their birth dates from a bowl to determine the order of induction. A draft lottery was adopted in the United States in 1969 and discontinued in 1975. </DL>
<B>draftsman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a person who makes plans or sketches. A draftsman draws designs or diagrams from which buildings and machines are made. <DD><B> b. </B>an artist who draws especially well. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who writes out rough copies of documents, speeches, etc. <DD><B> 3. </B>a person who draws up legal or official documents. </DL>
<A NAME="draftsmanship">
<B>draftsmanship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the work of a draftsman. </DL>
<A NAME="drafty">
<B>drafty, </B>adjective, <B>draftier,</B> <B>draftiest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>in a current of air. <BR> <I>Ex. I had a drafty seat near the window.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having many currents of air. <BR> <I>Ex. a drafty room.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>causing a current of air. <BR> <I>Ex. a drafty fireplace.</I> </DL>
