floater

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens
  2. noun a debt instrument with a variable interest rate tied to some other interest rate (e.g. the rate paid by T-bills)
  3. noun a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support

Etymology

From float + -er (suffix forming agent nouns). Compare Old English flota (“boat, ship", also "sailor, pirate”, literally “floater”), whence Middle English flote (“a fleet of ships", also, "a float, flotation device”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

musca volitans, muscae volitantes, spots

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