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deriva

drift

noun deh-REE-bah Rare
Travel & Places Movement

Usage Note

Deriva most commonly appears in the phrase a la deriva ('adrift'), used literally of boats and figuratively of people or situations without direction. The verb is derivar. In linguistics and mathematics, derivar yields 'to derive', but the noun deriva itself stays in the physical and figurative 'drift' sense.

Examples

"El bote quedó a la deriva en el mar."

Natural Translation

The boat was adrift at sea.

Literal Translation

The boat remained to the drift on the sea.

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