aloft

English

Etymology

From Old Norse á lopti (in the sky); equivalent to a- + loft.

Pronunciation

  • (US) enPR: ə-lôft', IPA(key): /əˈlɔft/
    Rhymes: -ɔːft
  • (US, cotcaught merger, Canada) enPR: ə-lŏft', IPA(key): /əˈlɑft/
  • (file)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ə-lŏft', IPA(key): /əˈlɒft/
    Rhymes: -ɒft

Adverb

aloft (comparative more aloft, superlative most aloft)

  1. At, to, or in the air or sky.
    high winds aloft
  2. Above, overhead, in a high place; up.
    • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:
      Someone's turned the chest out alow and aloft.
    • 1954, William Golding, Lord of the Flies:
      He noticed that he still held the knife aloft and brought his arm down, replacing the blade in the sheath.
    • 2017 June 11, Ben Fisher, “England seal Under-20 World Cup glory as Dominic Calvert-Lewin strikes”, in the Guardian:
      Lewis Cook held the trophy aloft after becoming the first England captain to lead his country to victory in a major global final since Sir Bobby Moore. A white sea of confetti slowly filled the pitch, with each England player taking hold of the trophy on the stage swiftly erected in Suwon to kick-start the celebrations.
  3. (nautical) in the top, at the masthead, or on the higher yards or rigging.
    • 1859, James Fenimore Cooper, The Red Rover: A Tale:
      I think you said something concerning the manner in which yonder ship has anchored, and of the condition they keep things alow and aloft?

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

  • aloft in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

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