astern

American  

[uh-sturn] / əˈstɜrn /

adverb

1. in a position behind a specified vessel or aircraft.

   The cutter was following close astern.

2. in a backward direction.

   The steamer went astern at half speed.

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astern British  

/ əˈstɜːn /

adverb

1. at or towards the stern

2. with the stern first

   full speed astern!

3. aft of the stern of a vessel

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Etymology

Origin of astern

First recorded in 1620–30; a- ¹ + stern ²

Explanation

Astern means at the rear of a ship, boat, or plane. If your seat on an airplane is astern, you'll have to walk all the way to the very back to find it. While you can use astern to mean "at the back" or "behind," it's most common to save this adjective for when you're on a sailboat or describing the tail section of an airplane. The word was originally nautical, meaning "toward the stern of the boat," or "at the back of the ship." One theory about the origin of astern and stern says their root is the Old Norse stjorn, "a steering."

Example Sentences

The Ferraris staged a frantic scrap over the first five laps in which they seemed to spend almost as much time side by side as in line astern.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2024

On the oval track at Alexandria’s Edison High School, they raced in the mile, 100, 200, 400 and 800-meter events — all facing astern.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2022

Observing the usual ceremony, the cars were rolled to the grid in line astern by white-overalled mechanics.

From The Guardian • Mar. 29, 2020

Halfway between New Zealand and Cape Horn, he was on the deck when a huge wave came from astern and broke over the boat.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2019

If he came the other way, climbing atop the tarpaulin from astern, I was in the best position to see him early and, again, take to the water.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel