abaft

[ uh-baft, uh-bahft ]
See synonyms for abaft on Thesaurus.com
preposition
  1. to the rear of; aft of: the fife rail abaft the mainmast.

adverb
  1. in the direction of the stern; astern; aft.

Origin of abaft

1
1225–75; Middle English on baft, abaft, equivalent to a-1 and onon + baft,Old English bæftan contraction of be + æftan.See by aft1

Words Nearby abaft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use abaft in a sentence

  • The corvette stood on the opposite tack until well abaft the beam.

    Newton Forster | Captain Frederick Marryat
  • Their leading ship a little abaft our lee-beam, distant one league.

    The Two Admirals | J. Fenimore Cooper
  • After that Tom led the way to the cook's galley, a mere closet of a place just abaft the foremast.

    Ralph Granger's Fortunes | William Perry Brown
  • A little abaft her beam a tugboat was blowing one long and two short, indicating her tow.

    Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
  • Christy gave his mother and sister places on the sofa abaft of the wheel, and then looked into the position of the steamer.

British Dictionary definitions for abaft

abaft

/ (əˈbɑːft) nautical /


adverb, adjective(postpositive)
  1. closer to the stern than to another place on a vessel: with the wind abaft

preposition
  1. behind; aft of: abaft the mast

Origin of abaft

1
C13: on baft; baft from Old English beæftan, from be by + æftan behind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012