What is "float"

Float \Float\, v. t.

1. To cause to float; to cause to rest or move on the surface of a fluid; as, the tide floated the ship into the harbor.

   Had floated that bell on the Inchcape rock.
   --Southey.

2. To flood; to overflow; to cover with water.

   Proud Pactolus floats the fruitful lands.
   --Dryden.

3. (Plastering) To pass over and level the surface of with a float while the plastering is kept wet.

4. To support and sustain the credit of, as a commercial scheme or a joint-stock company, so as to enable it to go into, or continue in, operation.

Float \Float\ (fl[=o]t), n.[OE. flote ship, boat, fleet, AS. flota ship, fr. fle['o]tan to float; akin to D. vloot fleet, G. floss raft, Icel. floti float, raft, fleet, Sw. flotta. [root] 84. See Fleet, v. i., and cf. Flotilla, Flotsam, Plover.]

1. Anything which floats or rests on the surface of a fluid, as to sustain weight, or to indicate the height of the liquid surface, or mark the place of, something. Specifically:

   1. A mass of timber or boards fastened together, and conveyed down a stream by the current; a raft.

   2. The hollow, metallic ball of a self-acting faucet, which floats upon the water in a cistern or boiler.

   3. The cork or quill used in angling, to support the bait line, and indicate the bite of a fish.

   4. Anything used to buoy up whatever is liable to sink; an inflated bag or pillow used by persons learning to swim; a life preserver.

   5. The hollow, metallic ball which floats on the fuel in the fuel tank of a vehicle to indicate the level of the fuel surface, and thus the amount of fuel remaining.

   6. A hollow elongated tank mounted under the wing of a seaplane which causes the plane to float when resting on the surface of the water.

      This reform bill . . . had been used as a float by the conservative ministry.
      --J. P. Peters.

2. A float board. See Float board (below).

3. (Tempering) A contrivance for affording a copious stream of water to the heated surface of an object of large bulk, as an anvil or die.
   --Knight.

4. The act of flowing; flux; flow. [Obs.]
   --Bacon.

5. A quantity of earth, eighteen feet square and one foot deep. [Obs.]
   --Mortimer.

6. (Plastering) The trowel or tool with which the floated coat of plastering is leveled and smoothed.

7. A polishing block used in marble working; a runner.
   --Knight.

8. A single-cut file for smoothing; a tool used by shoemakers for rasping off pegs inside a shoe.

9. A coal cart. [Eng.]
   --Simmonds.

10. The sea; a wave. See Flote, n.

11. (Banking) The free use of money for a time between occurrence of a transaction (such as depositing a check or a purchase made using a credit card), and the time when funds are withdrawn to cover the transaction; also, the money made available between transactions in that manner.

12. a vehicle on which an exhibit or display is mounted, driven or pulled as part of a parade. The float often is based on a large flat platform, and may contain a very elaborate structure with a tableau or people.

    Float board, one of the boards fixed radially to the rim of an undershot water wheel or of a steamer's paddle wheel; -- a vane.

    Float case (Naut.), a caisson used for lifting a ship.

    Float copper or Float gold (Mining), fine particles of metallic copper or of gold suspended in water, and thus liable to be lost.

    Float ore, water-worn particles of ore; fragments of vein material found on the surface, away from the vein outcrop.
    --Raymond.

    Float stone (Arch.), a siliceous stone used to rub stonework or brickwork to a smooth surface.

    Float valve, a valve or cock acted upon by a float. See Float, 1 (b) .

Float \Float\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Floated; p. pr. & vb. n. Floating.] [OE. flotien, flotten, AS. flotian to float, swim, fr. fle['o]tan. See Float, n.]

1. To rest on the surface of any fluid; to swim; to be buoyed up.

   The ark no more now floats, but seems on ground.
   --Milton.

   Three blustering nights, borne by the southern blast, I floated.
   --Dryden.

2. To move quietly or gently on the water, as a raft; to drift along; to move or glide without effort or impulse on the surface of a fluid, or through the air.

   They stretch their broad plumes and float upon the wind.
   --Pope.

   There seems a floating whisper on the hills.
   --Byron.

late Old English flotian "to rest on the surface of water" (intransitive; class II strong verb; past tense fleat, past participle floten), from Proto-Germanic *flotan "to float" (cognates: Old Norse flota, Middle Dutch vloten, Old High German flozzan, German flössen), from *flot-, from PIE *pleud-, extended form of root *pleu- "to flow" (see pluvial).\n

\nMeaning "drift about, hover passively" is from c.1300. Transitive sense of "to lift up, cause to float" (of water, etc.) is from c.1600; that of "set (something) afloat" is from 1778 (originally of financial operations). Of motion through air, from 1630s. Meaning "hover dimly before the eyes" is from 1775. Related: Floated; floating. A floating rib (by 1802) is so called because the anterior ends are not connected to the rest.

apparently an early Middle English merger of three related Old English nouns, flota "boat, fleet," flote "troop, flock," flot "body of water, sea;" all from the source of float (v.). The early senses were the now-mostly-obsolete ones of the Old English words: "state of floating" (early 12c.), "swimming" (mid-13c.); "a fleet of ships; a company or troop" (c.1300); "a stream, river" (early 14c.). From c.1300 as an attachment for buoyancy on a fishing line or net; early 14c. as "raft." Meaning "platform on wheels used for displays in parades, etc." is from 1888, probably from earlier sense of "flat-bottomed boat" (1550s). As a type of fountain drink, by 1915.\n\nFloat.
--An ade upon the top of which is floated a layer of grape juice, ginger ale, or in some cases a disher of fruit sherbet or ice cream. In the latter case it would be known as a "sherbet float" or an "ice-cream float." ["The Dispenser's Formulary: Or, Soda Water Guide," New York, 1915]\n

\n\n
\nFew soda water dispensers know what is meant by a "Float Ice Cream Soda." This is not strange since the term is a coined one. By a "float ice cream soda" is meant a soda with the ice cream floating on top, thus making a most inviting appearance and impressing the customer that you are liberal with your ice cream, when you are not really giving any more than the fellow that mixes his ice cream "out of sight."

["The Spatula," Boston, July, 1908]

n. 1 A buoyant device used to support something in water or another liquid. 2 A mass of timber or boards fastened together, and conveyed down a stream by the current; a raft. 3 A float board. 4 A tool similar to a rasp, used in various trades. 5 A sort of trowel used for finishing concrete surfaces or smoothing plaster. 6 An elaborately decorated trailer or vehicle, intended for display in a parade or pageant. 7 (lb en British) A small vehicle used for local deliveries, especially in the term milk float. 8 (lb en finance) Funds committed to be paid but not yet paid. 9 (lb en finance Australia and other Commonwealth countries?) An offering of shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public, normally followed by a listing on a stock exchange. 10 (lb en banking) The total amount of checks/cheques or other drafts written against a bank account but not yet cleared and charged against the account. 11 (lb en insurance) Premiums taken in but not yet paid out. 12 (lb en programming) A floating-point number. 13 A soft beverage with a scoop of ice-cream floating in it. 14 A small sum of money put in a cashier's till at the start of business to enable change to be made. 15 (lb en poker) A maneuver where a player calls on the flop or turn with a weak hand, with the intention of bluff#Verb after a subsequent community card. 16 (lb en knitting) One of the loose ends of yarn on an unfinished work. 17 (lb en automotive) a car carrier or car transporter truck or truck-and-trailer combination 18 (lb en transport) a lowboy trailer 19 (lb en tempering) A device sending a copious stream of water to the heated surface of a bulky object, such as an anvil or die. 20 (lb en obsolete) The act of flowing; flux; flow. 21 A quantity of earth, eighteen feet square and one foot deep. 22 A polishing block used in marble working; a runner. 23 (lb en UK dated) A coal cart. vb. 1 (lb en intransitive) Of an object or substance, to be supported by a liquid of greater density than the object so as that part of the object or substance remains above the surface. 2 (lb en transitive) To cause something to be suspended in a liquid of greater density; as, to float a boat. 3 (lb en intransitive) To be capable of floating. 4 (lb en intransitive) To move in a particular direction with the liquid in which one is floating 5 (lb en intransitive) To drift or wander aimlessly. 6 (lb en intransitive) To drift gently through the air. 7 (lb en intransitive) To move in a fluid manner. 8 (lb en intransitive colloquial) (of an idea or scheme) To be viable. 9 (lb en transitive) To propose (an idea) for consideration. 10 (lb en intransitive) To automatically adjust a parameter as related parameters change. 11 (lb en intransitive finance) (of currencies) To have an exchange value determined by the markets as opposed to by rule. 12 (lb en transitive finance) To allow (the exchange value of a currency) to be determined by the markets. 13 (lb en transitive colloquial) To extend a short-term loan to. 14 (lb en transitive finance) To issue or sell shares in a company (or units in a trust) to members of the public, followed by listing on a stock exchange. 15 (lb en transitive) To use a float (tool). 16 (lb en poker) To perform a float#Noun.

1. n. the time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment

2. the number of shares outstanding and available for trading by the public

3. a drink with ice cream floating in it [syn: ice-cream soda, ice-cream float]

4. an elaborate display mounted on a platform carried by a truck (or pulled by a truck) in a procession or parade

5. a hand tool with a flat face used for smoothing and finishing the surface of plaster or cement or stucco [syn: plasterer's float]

6. something that remains on the surface of a liquid

1. v. be in motion due to some air or water current; "The leaves were blowing in the wind"; "the boat drifted on the lake"; "The sailboat was adrift on the open sea"; "the shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore" [syn: drift, be adrift, blow]

2. be afloat; stay on a liquid surface; not sink [syn: swim] [ant: sink]

3. set afloat; "He floated the logs down the river"; "The boy floated his toy boat on the pond"

4. circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with; "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform"

5. move lightly, as if suspended; "The dancer floated across the stage"

6. put into the water; "float a ship"

7. make the surface of level or smooth; "float the plaster"

8. allow (currencies) to fluctuate; "The government floated the ruble for a few months"

9. convert from a fixed point notation to a floating point notation; "float data"

Float may refer to:

Float is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released on Mush Records on September 5, 2000. The production is handled by Aesop Rock, Blockhead, and Omega One.

In economics, float is duplicate money present in the banking system during the time between a deposit being made in the recipient's account and the money being deducted from the sender's account. It can be used as investable asset, but makes up the smallest part of the money supply. Float affects the amount of currency available to trade and countries can manipulate the worth of their currency by restricting or expanding the amount of float available to trade.

A float is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle like a truck or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades, such as those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnival of Viareggio, the Maltese Carnival, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Key West Fantasy Fest parade, the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, the 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis, the Unido a States Presidential Inaugural Parade, and the Tournament of Roses Parade. For the latter event, floats are decorated entirely in flowers or other plant material.

Float is the fourth studio album by the Irish-American punk band Flogging Molly. It was released on March 4, 2008, and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling about 48,000 copies in its first week. It also reached number one on the Billboard Independent Chart and number two on the Billboard Alternative chart.

The album features a darker and more political subject matter, with less whimsical and punk-influenced music.

Floating is a bartending technique where a liquor or ingredient is layered at the top of a drink. The cocktails or shots produced with this technique are known as either a Pousse-café or a layered drink. Although the amount of alcohol used in a float is only about half an ounce, it enhances the tone flavor of the drink at hand.

In project management, float or slack is the amount of time that a task in a project network can be delayed without causing a delay to:

• subsequent tasks ("free float")
• project completion date ("total float").

Total float is associated with the path. If a project network chart/diagram has 4 non-critical paths then that project would have 4 total float values. The total float of a path is the combined free float values of all activities in a path.

The total float represents the schedule flexibility and can also be measured by subtracting early start dates from late start dates of path completion. Float is core to critical path method, with the total floats of noncritical activities key to computing the critical path drag of an activity, i.e., the amount of time it is adding to the project's duration.

The float (turtle) is a b-boying move originally coming from basic Gymnastics alongside variants specifically the Turtle. Though it appears to demand great strength, the float actually requires balance above all because the breaker's weight is supported on the elbows which are firmly planted (" stabbed") into the lower abdomen near the ASIS.

Stationary floats are often employed as freeze poses. On the other hand, breakers can "walk" with floats by shifting weight from one hand to the other and thus moving in a straight line or circle. These moving floats can be made to spin very fast and become the first power moves that were done in the 80's.

A woodworking float, also called a planemaker's float, is a tapered, flat, single cut file of two types: edge float and the flat sided float which are traditional woodworking tools generally used when making a wooden plane. The float is used to cut, flatten, and smooth (or float) key areas of wood by abrasion. Despite the name its woodworking uses go well beyond planemaking.

Floats are similar to rasps and files. Rasps are generally coarse and cannot be resharpened. Files have angled ridges or teeth and cannot be resharpened. Floats have parallel teeth and they can be resharpened as many times as the thickness of the blade will allow.

Edge floats resemble saw blades and are generally used to cut wedge slots in wood. Flat sided floats are more similar to a file or rasp but their cutting edges are a series of parallel teeth.

Floats (also called pontoons) are airtight hollow structures, similar to pressure vessels, designed to provide buoyancy in water. Their principal applications are in watercraft hulls and aircraft floats, floating pier and pontoon bridge construction, and marine engineering applications such as salvage.

A float is a form of two-wheeled horse-drawn cart with a dropped axle to give an especially low loadbed.

They were intended for carrying heavy or unstable items such as milk churns. The name survives today in that of the milkfloat.

The axle passes beneath the loadbed of the cart but was cranked upwards at each side. This allows the load to be carried low, for stability and ease of loading with heavy objects such as churns or barrels. The high position of the stub axles allow large wheels, giving a smooth ride. The box body is open at the rear, with no more than a chain across for safety. Rather than a driving seat or box, they are driven from a standing position, alongside the load. Floats were drawn by a single horse or, especially in Ireland, a donkey.

Float is a public artwork by American artist Peter Flanary located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in front of Sandburg Hall, which is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.

Float is the sixth studio album by American rapper Styles P. The album was released on April 16, 2013, by Nature Sounds and High Times Records. The album was produced entirely by fellow New Yorker, American record producer Scram Jones. The album also features guest appearances from fellow American rappers N.O.R.E., Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, Raekwon, Bullpen and Scram Jones.

Liquid level floats, also known as float balls, are spherical, cylindrical, oblong or similarly shaped objects, made from either rigid or flexible material, that are buoyant in water and other liquids. They are non-electrical hardware frequently used as visual sight-indicators for surface demarcation and level measurement. They may also be incorporated into switch mechanisms or translucent fluid-tubes as a component in monitoring or controlling liquid level.

Liquid level floats, or float switches, use the principle of material buoyancy (differential densities) to follow fluid levels. Solid floats are often made of plastics with a density less than water or other application liquid, and so they float. Hollow floats filled with air are much less dense than water or other liquids, and are appropriate for some applications.

Stainless Steel Magnetic floats are tubed magnetic floats, used for reed switch activation; they have a hollow tubed connection running through them. These magnetic floats have become standard equipment where strength, corrosion resistance and buoyancy are necessary. They are manufactured by welding two drawn half shells together. The welding process is critical for the strength and durability of the float. The weld is a full penetration weld providing a smoothly finished seam, hardly distinguishable from the rest of the float surface.