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A buoy ( /ˈbɔɪ/, also /ˈbwɔɪ/ or US /ˈbuːiː/) is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly /ˈbɔɪ/ (identical with boy, also as in buoyancy) in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation /ˈbwɔɪ/. The pronunciation /ˈbuːiː/, while chiefly American, more closely resembles the modern French bouée [bwe].