A person who moves around without a permanent home or purpose; something that drifts or moves slowly.
From 'drift' (from Old Norse 'drift' meaning 'pasture' and 'driving'), plus '-er' to indicate an agent. The meaning shifted to describe a restless person.
The drifter is a romantic figure in American literature and music—Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' made wandering seem noble, but the drifter is often motivated by economic desperation, not philosophical freedom.
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