A flat floating structure made of logs, planks, or inflatable materials used for transportation or recreation on water. Can also mean a large number or quantity of something.
From Middle English 'rafte', borrowed from Old Norse 'raptr' meaning 'log' or 'rafter'. The sense of 'large quantity' developed in the 19th century from the image of logs bundled together.
The dual meaning of 'raft' is fascinating - from a simple water vessel to meaning 'a whole bunch of' something. This semantic expansion shows how concrete nautical terms often develop abstract meanings, like 'a raft of problems' or 'a raft of new ideas'.
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