different between abaft vs behind

English

Etymology

From a- (“on”) + Middle English baft, baften, biaften, Old English beæftan; be (“by”) (modern English by) + æftan (“behind”) (modern English after). See also aft.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??bæft/, /??b??ft/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??bæft/, /??b?ft/
• Rhymes: -??ft

Preposition

abaft

1. (nautical) Behind; toward the stern relative to some other object or position; aft of. [First attested around the late 15^th century.]

   The captain stood abaft the wheelhouse.

Translations

Adverb

abaft (comparative more abaft, superlative most abaft)

1. (nautical) On the aft side; in the stern. [First attested in the early 17^th century.]

   We drifted with the wind abaft.

   The mate sleeps abaft.

2. (nautical, obsolete) Backwards. [Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the late 15^th century.]

Translations

Related terms

• aft
• after

References

Anagrams

• BAFTA, bafta

English

Alternative forms

• behine (archaic, AAVE)

Etymology

From Middle English behinde, behinden, from Old English behindan (“on the back side of, behind”), equivalent to be- +? hind. Compare Old Saxon bihindan (“behind”, adverb), Middle High German behinter (“behind; back”).

Pronunciation

• (preposition, adverb)
  • IPA^(key): /b??ha?nd/, /b??ha?nd/
• (noun)
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /?bi??ha?nd/, /b??ha?nd/
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /b??ha?nd/, /b??ha?nd/
• Hyphenation: be?hind

Preposition

behind

1. At the back of; positioned with something else in front of.
2. To the back of. (Can we clean up⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
3. After, time- or motion-wise.
4. responsible for

5. In support of.

6. Left a distance by, in progress or improvement; inferior to.
7. (nonstandard, US, slang) As a result or consequence of

Synonyms

• (at the back of): a-back (Chester), in back of, to the rear of.

Antonyms

• in front of

Derived terms

• behind every successful man there stands a woman

Translations

Adverb

behind (comparative behinder or more behind, superlative behindest or most behind)

1. At the back part; in the rear. (Can we clean up⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
2. Toward the back part or rear; backward.

3. Overdue, in arrears.

4. Slow; of a watch or clock.

5. existing afterwards
6. Backward in time or order of succession; past.
7. Behind the scenes in a theatre; backstage.
8. (archaic) Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining.

   • We cannot be sure that there is no evidence behind.

Usage notes

For usage in phrasal verbs, see Category:English phrasal verbs with particle (behind).

Translations

Noun

behind (plural behinds)

1. the rear, back-end
2. (informal) butt, the buttocks, bottom
3. (Australian rules football) A one-point score.
4. (baseball, slang, 1800s) The catcher.
5. In the Eton College field game, any of a group of players consisting of two "shorts" (who try to kick the ball over the bully) and a "long" (who defends the goal).

Translations

Derived terms

Related terms

• hind
• hiney

References

• behind in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• behind in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8