asea

9.9

Toward or out on the sea

adverb
/əˈsiːə/

Archaic

: mar adentro

He gazed asea, searching for any sign of land on the horizon.

Examples

As the storm approached, the fishing boats drifted asea in the growing waves.
At dawn, the crew steered the ship asea for another long day of travel.
The boat sailed asea early in the morning.
They were lost asea for several days.
As the storm gained strength, the sailors found themselves drifting asea among the towering waves.
The lighthouse stood tall as the crew navigated asea through the thick fog.
He stood on the deck of the ship, gazing asea, hoping to spot a distant island.

Synonyms

seaward

vsasea

1 3.2

Toward the sea

is identical in meaning but the other form adds a final s

seawards

vsasea

4.2

Toward the sea

is identical in meaning but the other form drops the final s

How Seaward

deep-sea

13 4.5

asea

Archaic

9.9

offshore

141 3.7

shoreward

6.5

inland

31 3.8

Surface Forms

asea positive

Morphology

asea = sea (semi-transparent) = a + sea

The link to 'sea' is clear, but the prefix 'a-' is not a productive modern English prefix for most learners, so the exact meaning is not fully predictable.

Etymology

The word asea comes from an old prefix a- meaning 'to' or 'on' plus the word sea meaning 'the sea'. So, asea means moving 'towards' or being 'on' the sea.