Definition of the word float about

The phrase "float about" is a figurative expression that is often used to describe something that seems to move or drift aimlessly without any clear direction or purpose. The origin of this phrase can be traced back to the 16th century, where it was first recorded in the writings of William Shakespeare. According to linguists, the phrase "float about" is derived from the nautical term "to float," which refers to the buoyant behavior of an object in water. In naval terminology, objects that float simply bob up and down on the surface of the water, with no intention of moving in any specific direction. This behavior is what gave rise to the phrase "float about," which came to be used metaphorically to describe objects, ideas, or people that seem to move or exist with no apparent goal or destination. In Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," for example, the character Horatio describes some ghostly apparitions as "float[ing] upon the view, grasped, as 'twere, by th'bearded fantasies, or dormive power of sleep" (Act V, Scene 1). Here, "float about" is used to depict the otherworldly spirits drifting ghostlike through the dreamlike environment of the play. Over time, the meaning of "float about" has come to be applied in many different contexts, from literature and poetry to journalism and everyday speech. Today, the phrase is commonly used to describe people or things that seem undecided, uncertain, or uncommitted, as well as those that move aimlessly or without any clear direction or destination.