Etymology dictionary. 2014.
abaft — abaft, aft, astern are nautical terms meaning behind or to or at the rear (of). Abaft and aft are applied to objects or their positions in a ship. Abaft (opposed to afore) commonly suggests position relatively nearer the stern or rear part of the … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Abaft — A*baft ([.a]*b[.a]ft ), prep. [Pref. a on + OE. baft, baften, biaften, AS. be[ae]ftan; be by + [ae]ftan behind. See {After}, {Aft}, {By}.] (Naut.) Behind; toward the stern from; as, abaft the wheelhouse. [1913 Webster] {Abaft the beam}. See under … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Abaft — A*baft , adv. (Naut.) Toward the stern; aft; as, to go abaft. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
abaft — [ə baft′, əbäft′] adv. [ME o baft < OE on, ON + bæftan < be, BY + æftan, AFT1] at or toward the stern or rear of a ship; aft prep. Naut. to the rear of; behind [located just abaft the bridge] … English World dictionary
abaft — [adj] to the rear astern, back, behind, rearward; concepts 586,820 … New thesaurus
abaft — ► ADVERB & PREPOSITION Nautical ▪ in or behind the stern of a ship. ORIGIN from archaic baft «in the rear» … English terms dictionary
Abaft — (chimney). (If not qualified, abaft means behind the mid point of a ship or group of ships .) Note that unqualified or in the abaft the beam form, abaft does not necessarily refer to a point actually on the ship; it may refer to a point some… … Wikipedia
abaft — /euh baft , euh bahft /, Naut. prep. 1. to the rear of; aft of: the fife rail abaft the mainmast. adv. 2. in the direction of the stern; astern; aft. [1225 75; ME on baft, abaft, equiv. to A 1 and on ON + baft, OE baeftan contr. of be + aeftan.… … Universalium
abaft — 1. preposition Behind; toward the stern relative to some other object or position; aft of abaft the wheelhouse. 2. adverb On the … Wiktionary
abaft — a•baft [[t]əˈbæft, əˈbɑft[/t]] Naut. 1) naut. navig. to the rear of; aft of; behind 2) naut. navig. toward the stern; astern; aft • Etymology: 1225–75; ME on baft, abaft= a I and on on+baft, OE bæftan contr. of be+æftan. See by I, aft I … From formal English to slang
