aloft
aloft Lexical Profile
aloft Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Up in or into the air; high overhead.
"The champion held the golden trophy aloft for the cheering crowd to see."
High up in the rigging, masts, or upper structural levels of a ship.
"The captain ordered the sailors aloft to secure the mainmast sails before the squall hit."
• adjective
Up in or into the air; overhead; flying or suspended above the ground.
"The hot-air balloon remained aloft for three hours as it drifted across the valley."
• preposition
At or toward the top of; high up on.
"The lookout stood watch aloft the mainmast, scanning the horizon for land."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as an adjective, 'aloft' is restricted to predicative or postpositive positions (following a linking verb or the noun it modifies) and cannot be placed directly before a noun.
• Rhymes for aloft
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English a-lofte, borrowed from the Old Norse phrase á lopt ('in the air, upwards'), formed from á ('in, on') and lopt ('air, sky, upper room').