A current of air moving opposite to another current, or a draft written in response to another draft.
From 'counter-' + 'draft' (from Old Norse 'dráttr', meaning something drawn). In architecture and engineering, counterdrafts manage air flow; in writing, they represent revision or negotiation.
Architects use counterdrafts to prevent smoke from entering buildings—the word literally describes air pushing back against air. It's one of those elegant words that describes physical phenomena we can all feel.
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