waft Look up waft at Dictionary.com
1513, "to carry over water," back-formation from obs. wafter "convoy ship" (1482), from M.Du. or M.L.G. wachter "a guard," from wachten "to guard," related to waken "rouse from sleep" (see wake (1)). The meaning "pass through air or space, float" is first attested 1704, and possibly shows some influence of northern dialect waff "cause to move to and fro" (1513), a variant of wave.