raft

Where does the word "raft" come from? It comes from Old Norse raptr, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Raft’s story begins in Old Norse: raptr meant “a beam, a rafter.” A rafter or beam, later a floating platform made of lashed timbers. It reached English by 1400s as raft. Settled as the English word for a floating platform of timber. Today, raft means a flat structure used for transportation on water.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval raptr "a beam, a rafter", a rafter or beam, later a floating platform made of lashed timbers.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s raft "a flat floating structure", settled as the English word for a floating platform of timber.