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abaft

[ uh-baft, uh-bahft ]
/ əˈbæft, əˈbɑft /
Nautical
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preposition
to the rear of; aft of: the fife rail abaft the mainmast.
adverb
in the direction of the stern; astern; aft.
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Origin of abaft

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

Abadan, Abaddon, A bad penny always turns up, bad sort, a, ab aeterno, abaft, Abagtha, Abailard, Abakan, abalone, abamp
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to abaft

astern, back, behind, rearward

How to use abaft in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abaft

abaft
/ (əˈbɑːft) nautical /
adverb, adjective (postpositive)
closer to the stern than to another place on a vesselwith the wind abaft
preposition
behind; aft ofabaft the mast

Word Origin for abaft

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
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