Drafts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Early versions of a text or document created as preparations ; currents of cool air moving through a space ; the compulsory enlistment of individuals into military service
2. Initial forms of a writing or plan before finalization ; movements of chilly air in indoor or outdoor environments ; the process of selecting people for armed forces service by law
3. Unfinished copies or sketches of texts or plans ; flows of cold air that cause discomfort or chillness ; legal requirement for citizens to join the military for service

Etymology: "Drafts" is the plural of "draft," but its other meanings have a shared ancestry that is more tangled than the modern senses suggest. The noun "draft" in the sense of an early version of a text is a variant of "draught," the older spelling that also covers a current of air, a drink, and the act of pulling something along. The military sense of conscription came later, borrowed from the idea of drawing or selecting men out of a larger group, a meaning that shares the same pulling motion as the others. Because the forms "draft" and "draught" once ran side by side, the plural "drafts" reflects a split in spelling rather than a separate word. In the sense of cool air moving through a room, "drafts" keeps the older, more physical idea of something drawn along, which is closer to the original sense than the writer's rough copy. The word therefore carries the image of drawing something out, whether a breeze, a soldier, or a sketch.

Synonyms: blueprints, sketches, plans

Antonyms: final product