Draft, draught, draw

Posted by R. Berg on April 03, 2001

In Reply to: Different meaning of words posted by James Briggs on April 03, 2001

: : : Why is it called a "breeze" in the summer, but a "draft" in the winter.
: : Just my opinion:
: : Here in the US of A, a breeze is something you experience out of doors or near an open window whilst a draft is more like an uncomfortable leak in an already closed room. A draft is something you try to avoid to save on your heating bills.

: Same here in the UK. A 'breeze' is a pleasant summer wind; a 'draft' is an unwanted flow of air at any season.

"Draft" (alt. spelling: "draught"), "drag," and "draw" come from the same Anglo-Saxon root. To draw is to pull. Draft horses pull a wagon; a bartender drawing a glass of beer pulls it from the tap; a draftsman pulls a pen across the paper; a military draft pulls citizens into government service. An indoor air current between two leaky windows on opposite sides of a room is a draft because the air is pulled (by differential pressure) out at one leak and in at the other. Nevertheless, people indoors do sometimes say "There's a breeze in here."