underdrift adjective 1noun 2forms 1 adjective1 •Having the gearing that turns the millstone beneath the floor.The overdrift method in smock mills may be seen at Punnetts Town, and the underdrift at Shipley. — 1979 noun2 •An underlying meaning that is not made explicit.Now, Lydia, looking two ways, seemed to see double, but even she did not discover the subtle underdrift which gave this poem a distinct meaning for two persons. — 1875 •Synonym of undertow.This alone, except the underdrift from breakers, brings new materials to form an original deposit in the sea. — 1903 formsunderdrifts
