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

There might astert them no pecunial pain: they got off with no mere pecuniary punishment.

From The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Purves, D. Laing