aloft
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Pronunciation [edit]
- (US) enPR: ə-lôft', IPA: /əˈlɔft/
- Rhymes: -ɔːft
- (US, cot–caught merger, Canada) enPR: ə-lŏft', IPA: /əˈlɑft/
-
Audio (US) (file) - (RP) enPR: ə-lŏft', IPA: /əˈlɒft/
- Rhymes: -ɒft
Etymology [edit]
From Old Norse á lopti (“in the sky”).
Adverb [edit]
aloft (comparative more aloft, superlative most aloft)
- in the air; in the sky
- high winds aloft
- above, overhead, in a high place; up
- 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:
- Someone's turned the chest out alow and aloft.
- 1954, William Golding, Lord of the Flies:
- He noticed that he still held the knife aloft and brought his arm down, replacing the blade in the sheath.
- 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:
- (nautical) in the top, at the masthead, or on the higher yards or rigging.
- 1859, James Fenimore Cooper, The Red Rover: A Tale:
- I think you said something concerning the manner in which yonder ship has anchored, and of the condition they keep things alow and aloft?
- 1859, James Fenimore Cooper, The Red Rover: A Tale:
Translations [edit]
above
in the top, at the masthead, or on the higher yards or rigging
Related terms [edit]
See also [edit]
Anagrams [edit]
References [edit]
- aloft in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913