abaft

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   at, near, or toward the stern of a ship

   The passengers moved abaft as the crew cleared the forward deck.

2. 2
   prep

   behind another point or object when viewed toward a vessel's stern

   The spare ropes were stored abaft the mainmast.

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