asternadv.prep.
/əˈstəːn/, U.S. /əˈstərn/ Nautical.
A. adv.
1. Of position: In or at the stern.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > rear part of vessel > [adverb]
aftc1580
astern1675
baft1687
a-poop1809
1675 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Odysses 61 Then he astern sate down and governed.
1827 T. Hood Whims & Oddities 2nd Ser. 111 Good sir, you must not sit a-stern, The wave will else come in.
2.
a. Hence, in the rear, behind (at any distance).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > rear part of vessel > [adverb] > in the rear
astern1627
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 45 To lay an anchor..ahead, and another asterne.
1692 London Gaz. No. 2811/3 The Rupert being about a mile a-stern.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 198 A little Gale of Wind right a Stern.
1845 C. Darwin Jrnl. (ed. 2) iii. 43 They made all sail..and soon left the horse astern.
b. astern of: in the rear of (a ship).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > rear part of vessel > in the rear (of) [phrase]
on, in steerc1374
a sternc1500
on stern1616
astern of1634
in wake of1711
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 3 A Barbarian man of warre..came asterne of vs.
1707 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) VI. 168 One of the biggest..men of war..sunk down a stern of him.
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. i. 3 Keeping half his boat's length astern of the other boat.
3. Of motion: To the rear, backward; stern foremost. Said of a ship or boat.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [adverb] > moving through water > astern
astern1681
1681 London Gaz. 1628/1 Soon after the Algerine fell a stern.
1847 R. W. Emerson Poems 26 I Alphonso live and learn, Seeing nature go astern.
1858 J. Mansfield in Mercantile Marine Mag. 5 19 She came round with head to wind, when she backed astern.
B. prep.
At the stern or rear of (a ship).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > rear part of vessel > at the stern of [preposition]
astern1675
1675 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Odysses 150 Dolon's spoils astern his ship he plac'd.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1885; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
adv.prep.1627