Draght

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A stream of cool air moving through a closed room ; a single mouthful or gulp of a liquid to drink ; a counter moved across the board in the game of checkers
2. An unwelcome current of air felt in a confined space ; the amount of liquid taken in one swallow ; a flat disc played on the squares of a draughts board
3. A flow of air that chills a room or passage ; one swig of a beverage ; a round token moved diagonally across the squares in a board game

Etymology: Its root is the Old English verb "dragan", meaning to draw or pull, which is also the source of "drag". The Old English noun "dragt" named the act of drawing or pulling something along. The sense of air being drawn through a space grew out of that idea: a draught is air pulled through a gap, a chimney, or an open door, so the chill at a window is air being drawn across the room. The spelling records an older pronunciation. The "gh" was once sounded like the "ch" in Scottish "loch", and that sound was later lost, which is why British English keeps "draught" while American English uses "draft". The American spelling has also taken on the senses of drawing men into military service and of a rough preliminary sketch.