floating

Etymology

adj

1. That floats or float.
   floating buoys
2. Not fixed in position, opinion etc.; free to move or drift.
   The outcome of the forthcoming election is still unclear due to the large number of floating voters.
   In China, the large floating population has tended to gravitate to cities.
   You can drag the floating toolbars to any position on the screen.
3. (linguistics, of a tone) that is not attached to any consonant or vowel within its morpheme.

verb

1. present participle and gerund of float

noun

1. The motion of something that floats.
2. (in the plural) Material that floats in a liquid.
   Plastic mud, brownish tinted, rich in floatings. 1898, Journal of Microscopy, page 256
3. The spreading of plaster on the surface of walls.
4. (veterinary medicine) A veterinary dental procedure involving the filing down of sharp surfaces on a horse's teeth.