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Glite Dictionary
abaft

abaft

9.9
Towards the back of a ship or plane
  • adverb
  • /əˈbæft/
  • Specialized
translation icon : a popa
  • The damaged section of the ship was abaft the engine room.
  • just abaft

Examples

  • Look abaft!

  • The lifeboats are located abaft the main mast.

  • Passengers must not go abaft the safety barrier during takeoff.

  • The captain ordered everyone to move abaft.

  • The captain pointed abaft, indicating where the crew should look for the approaching storm.

  • We anchored the boat abaft the main mast to get protection from the wind.

  • The lifeboat is stored abaft the deck, easily accessible in case of emergency.

Synonyms

aft
vsabaft
  • Specialized
51 7.0

Near the back of a ship or the tail of a plane

is the same meaning but uses a different word form for the same position
astern
vsabaft
1 7.9

Toward the rear of a ship or plane

refers to location toward the rear rather than movement or backward direction
sternward
vsabaft
  • Specialized
8.1

Toward the back of a ship or boat

is focused on ships and aircraft rear locations rather than all vehicles

Antonyms

fore
4 5.0

Toward the front of a ship or plane

Surface Forms

abaft positive

Morphology

abaft = aft (semi-transparent) = a + aft

Formed by the locative prefix 'a-' plus 'aft'; the meaning is direct but the prefix is archaic/nautical and may not be recognized by all learners.

Etymology

The word abaft comes from a- meaning 'on' and aft meaning the 'back' of a ship. So abaft literally means 'on the back part' and is used to say something is towards the rear of a ship or aircraft.