definitions

fore-and-aft

[ fawr-uh nd-aft, -ahft, fohr- ]
/ ˈfɔr əndˈæft, -ˈɑft, ˈfoʊr- /
Nautical
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fore-and-aft ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

located along or parallel to a line from the stem to the stern.

adverb

fore1(def 10).

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RELATED WORDS

along, alongside, overall, endlong

Nearby words

fore and aft, fore clipping, fore edge, fore plane, fore-, fore-and-aft, fore-and-aft rig, fore-and-aft sail, fore-and-aft topsail, fore-and-after, fore-check

Origin of fore-and-aft

First recorded in 1610–20

Definition for fore and aft (2 of 2)

Origin of fore

1
by construal of fore- as an adj., hence nominalized; fore and aft perhaps as translation of Dutch or Low German; sense “before” (defs 6, 9) perhaps continuation of Middle English, Old English fore in this sense, or as aphetic form of afore

Can be confused

for fore four
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for fore and aft (1 of 2)

Word Origin for fore

Old English; related to Old Saxon, Old High German fora, Gothic faura, Greek para, Sanskrit pura

British Dictionary definitions for fore and aft (2 of 2)

fore

2
/ (fɔː) /

interjection

(in golf) a warning shout made by a player about to make a shot

Word Origin for fore

C19: probably short for before
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with fore and aft (1 of 2)

fore and aft

Both front and back, everywhere, as in The children clung to the teacher fore and aft. This expression is nautical terminology for the bow, or front, and the stern, or back, of a vessel. Today it is also used more broadly. [First half of 1600s]

Idioms and Phrases with fore and aft (2 of 2)

fore

In addition to the idioms beginning with fore

  • fore and aft

also see:

  • to the fore
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.