aft 1 / æft , ɑft / Show Spelled Pronunciation [ aft , ahft ] Show IPA Nautical, Aeronautics –adverb 1. at, close to, or toward the stern or tail: Stow the luggage aft.
–adjective 2. situated toward or at the stern or tail: The aft sail was luffing.
Origin: bef. 950; ME
afte, OE
æftan from behind, equiv. to
æf- opposite +
-t- suffix of uncertain value +
-an suffix marking motion from; c. OFris
efta, OS, OHG
aftan, Goth
aftana, ON
aptan, Gk
opís (
s )
ō behind; not akin to Gk
apó off
af·ter (āf'tər) prep.
Behind in place or order: Z comes after Y in the alphabet.
Next to or lower than in order or importance.
In quest or pursuit of: seek after fame; go after big money.
Concerning: asked after you.
Subsequent in time to; at a later time than: come after dinner.
Subsequent to and because of or regardless of: They are still friends after all their differences.
Following continually: year after year.
In the style of or in imitation of: satires after Horace.
With the same or close to the same name as; in honor or commemoration of: named after her mother.
According to the nature or desires of; in conformity to: a tenor after my own heart.
Past the hour of: five minutes after three.
Irish Used with a present participle to indicate action that has just been completed: "Sure I'm after seeing him not five minutes ago" (James Joyce).
adv. Behind; in the rear.
At a later or subsequent time; afterward: three hours after; departed shortly after.
adj. Subsequent in time or place; later; following: in after years.
Located near the stern of a vessel or the rear or an aircraft or spacecraft.
conj. Following or subsequent to the time that: I saw them after I arrived. n. Afternoon.
afters Chiefly British Dessert.
[Middle English, from Old English æfter ; see apo- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source