abaft

English[edit]

From a- (“on”) + Middle English baft, baften, biaften, Old English beæftan; be (“by”) (modern English by) + æftan (“behind”) (modern English after).^[1]^[2] See also aft.

abaft

(nautical) Behind; toward the stern relative to some other object or position; aft of. [First attested around the late 15^th century.]^[3]

abaft the wheelhouse.

(nautical) Behind; toward the stern relative to some other object or position; aft of

abaft

(nautical, obsolete) Backwards. [Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the late 15^th century.]^[3]
(nautical) On the aft side; in the stern. [First attested in the early 17^th century.]^[3]

with the wind abaft

The mate sleeps abaft

(nautical) On the aft side

^ 1971 [1969], Morris, William editor, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, New York, NY: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., ISBN 0-395-09066-0, page 1:
^ 1984 [1975], Urdang, Laurence editor, The Random House College Dictionary, New York, NY: Random House, Inc., ISBN 0-394-43600-8, page 1:
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 2003 [1933], Brown, Lesley editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, edition 5th, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7, page 2: