I. ˈaft, ˈaa(ə)-, ˈai-, ˈȧ- adverb
Etymology: Middle English afte back, from Old English æftan behind, from behind (akin to Old High German aftan, Old Norse aptan, Gothic aftana ), from the root of Old English æft behind + -an (suffix denoting place from which) — more at after , hence
: near, toward, or in the stern of a ship or the tail of an aircraft : abaft
the captain would call all hands aft — N.D.Ford
midwing monoplane with a large vertical fin and rudder aft — A.R.Weyl
broadly : behind
a few trams were running, policemen posted fore and aft — Christopher Isherwood
a cloth Sherlock Holmes cap pulled down fore and aft — Richard Joseph
— sometimes used with of
along the fairing aft of the engines — Howard Nemerov
II. adjective
: rearward , rear
motion in the aft direction
: after IV 2
orders came for our unit to assemble on the aft deck — H.D.Skidmore
III. ˈaft
Scotland
variant of oft
IV. abbreviation
afternoon