astern
astern Lexical Profile
astern Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Behind or toward the rear of a ship or aircraft.
"The coast guard cutter left a long white wake stretching far astern."
Backward; in reverse motion (of a ship or boat).
"The pilot ordered the engines full astern to avoid colliding with the pier."
• adjective
Situated at or toward the stern or rear of a ship or aircraft, or directly behind it.
"The captain checked the radar to monitor the vessels that were still astern."
• preposition
Behind the stern of (a ship) or in the rear of.
"Normally uses 'astern of', though occasionally in nautical contexts a boat is said to pass directly astern the flagship."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'aft' refers to a location inside a ship toward the rear, 'astern' typically refers to a position or movement outside and behind the vessel, or backward movement of the vessel itself.
• Rhymes for astern
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 17th century from the prefix 'a-' (meaning 'on' or 'in') and 'stern' (the rear end of a ship), which likely derives from Old Norse 'stjórn', meaning 'steering'.