abaft C2 Topic:Grammar & Function Words US /əˈbæft/ UK /əˈbɑːft/ See IPA manual Freq #250595 Meanings 1 adv at, near, or toward the stern of a ship The passengers moved abaft as the crew cleared the forward deck. 2 prep behind another point or object when viewed toward a vessel's stern The spare ropes were stored abaft the mainmast. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · at, near, or toward the... aftastern 2 prep · behind another point or... aft ofbehind ↔ Opposites forwardfore Word family Related forms aftasternstern Etymology From Middle English abaft and baft, ultimately from Old English beæftan ("behind"), formed from be ("by") + æftan ("behind"). It survives chiefly as a nautical direction word. Topics Grammar & Function Words External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # abaft **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adv, prep **IPA (US):** /əˈbæft/ **IPA (UK):** /əˈbɑːft/ **Frequency rank:** 250595 ## Meanings 1. at, near, or toward the stern of a ship 2. behind another point or object when viewed toward a vessel's stern ## Examples - The passengers moved abaft as the crew cleared the forward deck. - The spare ropes were stored abaft the mainmast. ## Synonyms - aft - astern - behind ## Antonyms - forward - fore ## Related Forms - aft - astern - stern ## Etymology From Middle English abaft and baft, ultimately from Old English beæftan ("behind"), formed from be ("by") + æftan ("behind"). It survives chiefly as a nautical direction word. ## Topics - Grammar & Function Words markdown