Matter or objects that drift, especially floating debris in water, or the process of drifting.
From 'drift' (to move slowly without direction) plus the suffix '-age' (creating nouns indicating a collection, process, or result). 'Drift' comes from Old Norse 'drift' meaning a snowdrift or drove of animals.
The suffix '-age' is brilliant for creating abstract nouns—'baggage,' 'luggage,' 'driftage'—all turning verbs into tangible concepts, showing how English reuses this pattern thousands of times.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.