avast

English

Etymology

From the Dutch hou vast (“hold tight”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈvæst/
• Rhymes: -æst

Interjection

avast

1. (nautical) hold fast!; desist!; stay!.

   • 1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Mucker^[1], HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2009:

     "Avast there!" cried the captain, and as though to punctuate his remark he swung the heavy stick he usually carried full upon the back of Billy's head.

2. (parody of pirate slang) listen!; pay attention!.

   Avast, ye landlubbers!

Synonyms

• (hold fast): For semantic relationships of this sense, see avast in the Wikisaurus.
• (pay attention): For semantic relationships of this sense, see heads up in the Wikisaurus.

Usage notes

• The form "avast, ye!" (as in "Avast, Hoisting!" or "Avast, this noise" or "Avast ye landlubbers!!") is often seen, but this is nonstandard.
• "Avast hauling!" is (or was, in 1950) still commonly used in U.S. Navy deck operations.

Anagrams

• Vasta, tavas