raft

raft
    n 1: a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be
         used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
    2: (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent;
       "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money";
       "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the
       winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost
       plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money" [syn:
       {batch}, {deal}, {flock}, {good deal}, {great deal},
       {hatful}, {heap}, {lot}, {mass}, {mess}, {mickle}, {mint},
       {mountain}, {muckle}, {passel}, {peck}, {pile}, {plenty},
       {pot}, {quite a little}, {raft}, {sight}, {slew}, {spate},
       {stack}, {tidy sum}, {wad}]
    v 1: transport on a raft; "raft wood down a river"
    2: travel by raft in water; "Raft the Colorado River"
    3: make into a raft; "raft these logs"
    

Raft \Raft\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Rafted}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Rafting}.]
   To transport on a raft, or in the form of a raft; to make
   into a raft; as, to raft timber.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Raft \Raft\ (r[.a]ft), obs.
   imp. & p. p. of {Reave}. --Spenser.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Raft \Raft\, n. [Originally, a rafter, spar, and fr. Icel. raptr
   a rafter; akin to Dan. raft, Prov. G. raff a rafter, spar;
   cf. OHG. r[=a]fo, r[=a]vo, a beam, rafter, Icel. r[=a]f roof.
   Cf. {Rafter}, n.]
   1. A collection of logs, boards, pieces of timber, or the
      like, fastened together, either for their own collective
      conveyance on the water, or to serve as a support in
      conveying other things; a float.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A collection of logs, fallen trees, etc. (such as is
      formed in some Western rivers of the United States), which
      obstructs navigation. [U.S.]
      [1913 Webster]

   3. [Perhaps akin to raff a heap.] A large collection of
      people or things taken indiscriminately. [Slang, U. S.] "A
      whole raft of folks." --W. D. Howells.
      [1913 Webster]

   {Raft bridge}.
      (a) A bridge whose points of support are rafts.
      (b) A bridge that consists of floating timbers fastened
          together.

   {Raft duck}. [The name alludes to its swimming in dense
      flocks.] (Zool.)
      (a) The bluebill, or greater scaup duck; -- called also
          {flock duck}. See {Scaup}.
      (b) The redhead.

   {Raft port} (Naut.), a large, square port in a vessel's side
      for loading or unloading timber or other bulky articles; a
      timber or lumber port.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Reave \Reave\ (r[=e]v), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Reaved} (r[=e]vd),
   {Reft} (r[e^]ft), or {Raft} (r[.a]ft) (obs.); p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Reaving}.] [AS. re['a]fian, from re['a]f spoil, plunder,
   clothing, re['o]fan to break (cf. bire['o]fan to deprive of);
   akin to G. rauben to rob, Icel. raufa to rob, rj[=u]fa to
   break, violate, Goth. bir['a]ub[=o]n to despoil, L. rumpere
   to break; cf. Skr. lup to break. [root]114. Cf. {Bereave},
   {Rob}, v. t., {Robe}, {Rove}, v. i., {Rupture}.]
   To take away by violence or by stealth; to snatch away; to
   rob; to despoil; to bereave. [Archaic]. "To reave his life."
   --Spenser.
   [1913 Webster]

         He golden apples raft of the dragon.     --Chaucer.
   [1913 Webster]

         If the wooers reave
         By privy stratagem my life at home.      --Chapman.
   [1913 Webster]

         To reave the orphan of his patrimony.    --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

         The heathen caught and reft him of his tongue.
                                                  --Tennyson.
   [1913 Webster]
    

62 Moby Thesaurus words for "raft":
      Carling float, balsa, balsa raft, barge, batch, boat, bob, boom,
      buoy, bus, cart, coach, considerable, cork, deal, dray, ferry,
      float, gobs, good deal, great deal, haul, heap, heaps, lashings,
      life buoy, life preserver, life raft, lighter, loads, lot, lots,
      mess, mint, oodles, pack, peck, pile, piles, pontoon, pot,
      quite a little, rafts, scads, ship, sight, sled, sledge, slew,
      slews, spate, stack, stacks, surfboard, tidy sum, truck, van, wad,
      wads, wagon, wheelbarrow, whole slew