'adrift' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'driften,' where 'a-' meant 'on' and 'drift' meant 'to float or be carried by a current.'

'driften' transformed into the modern English word 'adrift' through the addition of the prefix 'a-' to indicate a state of being.

Initially, it meant 'to float or be carried by a current,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'floating without control or direction.'