aloofadv.int.adj.prep.

Brit.

/əˈluːf/, U.S.

/əˈluf/

Forms: 1500s aloff, 1500s a looffe, 1500s aloufe, 1500s alowfe, 1500s–1600s aloofe, 1500s–1600s a loofe, 1500s– aloof, 1600s a-loof, 1600s a loof, 1600s alooff, 1600s a loufe, 1600s aluff, 1600s aluffe; Scottish pre-1700 a luf, pre-1700 aleaf, pre-1700 alluff, pre-1700 alouf, pre-1700 aluiff.

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: a prep.¹, luff n.¹

Etymology: < a prep.¹ + luff n.¹ (compare on luff at luff n.¹ 3, at a luff at luff n.¹ 3, and variant forms at that entry). Compare a-weather adv. and earlier alee adv.With sense A. 1 perhaps compare Middle French au louf du vent to the windward side (2nd half of the 15th cent.); with use as interjection in sense B. 1 compare also French olof! , au lof! , interjection used as an order to turn the helm of a ship towards the wind (late 17th cent. or earlier). From the original use in nautical language, with reference to a technique of sailing intended to keep a ship clear of the lee shore, developed the more general English senses relating to the concepts of physical and emotional distance. In later use as a preposition (compare D.) perhaps influenced semantically by association with aloft adv. I.

A. adv.

1. Nautical. To the windward side; towards the direction from which the wind blows; (in later use) esp. on a course close to the wind, usually so as to stay clear of the shore or a hazard. Frequently in to keep aloof: to sail close to the wind (cf. to keep one's luff at luff n.¹ 3). Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of wind > [adverb] > to windward

aloofa1535

a-weather1589

up1591

a1535 T. More Confut. Barnes in Wks. (1557) 759/2 This anker lyeth to farre aloufe fro thys shyppe.

1592 W. Wyrley Lord Chandos in True Vse Armorie 33 A looffe to winde-ward all our Nauie wride [= turned], To view the turne right goodlie was the sight.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. xv.162 Aloof, when the Ship falls off from the Wind, she goes aloof.

1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey II. ix. 635 With all our force we kept aloof to sea.

1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 19 The mizen draws; she springs aloof once more.

1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 52 While aloof from Retimo she steers.

1805 Aberdeen Jrnl. 27 Nov. Four more [ships] kept aloof off the bar, waiting a favourable opportunity to get in.

1887 W. Morris tr. Homer Odyssey I. xii. 222 Drive thou the ship aloof through the reek and the wallowing sea.

1902 J. Payne Poet. Wks. II. 350 Silence on the sea, Silence in the sky, Nought aloof, a-lee, Not a cloud on high.

1990 G. Hammond Fleeting Things vi. 166 Desperate calls for it to steer alee or aloof signal the paralysis of those onboard.

2. gen.

a. To or at a distance from something; far off; separately, apart. Now usually with from.Now often coloured by sense A. 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adverb] > kept or placed at a distance apart

a-squarec1460

ysowndir1513

aloof1544

loof1558

aloof off?a1560

clear1600

large1670

abeighc1707

overhand1816

aloofly1891

remotely1897

1544 P. Betham tr. J. di Porcia Preceptes Warre i. 38 Stray this waye and that waye, somtyme nye, and somtyme aloofe.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark xiv. 54 Howbeit he folowed Jesus aloofe.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxxiii The lord Walonne and the Burgonions kept them a loofe.

a1554 J. Croke tr. Thirteen Psalms (1844) cii. 20 No frende draweth nere, I syt alowfe.

1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 54 Solide and grounded courses to keep them [sc. dangers and mischiefs] aloofe.

1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. iii. x. §8.120 With troupes of the light-armed-shot and slingers, compelled the enemie to lie a-loof.

a1635 R. Corbet Iter Boreale in Certain Elegant Poems (1647) 9 Wee care not for those glorious lampes aloofe.

1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 78 To keep infection aloof.

1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. v. 562 They stand aloof Quaking.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 328 He quitted his seat, and stood aloof.

1878 R. W. Emerson Sov. Ethics in N. Amer. Rev. 126 406 Heat is not separate, light is not massed aloof.

1905 J. E. Rogers Tree Bk. i. xxvii. 210 The uplands only satisfy this Western black oak. It holds aloof from the plains and keeps back from the sea.

1993 L. Davies Work, Sex & Rugby 126 Two foundation stones stood apart, slightly aloof from the common Pennant, the more expensive but more soluble limestone maintaining a respectable distance from the general mass.

2010 F. S. Kleiner Gardner's Art through Ages (ed. 13) iii. 50 In this painted tomb relief, the deceased stands aloof from the hunters busily spearing hippopotami.

†b. aloof off: = sense A. 2. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adverb] > kept or placed at a distance apart

a-squarec1460

ysowndir1513

aloof1544

loof1558

aloof off?a1560

clear1600

large1670

abeighc1707

overhand1816

aloofly1891

remotely1897

?a1560 L. Digges Geom. Pract.: Pantometria (1571) i. xxx. sig. Iiv You desire with shotte to beat the enemie aloofe of.

1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. S. Paule to Timothie & Titus 130/2 He withdraweth him selfe, and keepeth him selfe a loofe off.

1618 Hist. P. Warbeck in Harl. Misc. (1793) 82 A true woman's part..in standing a-loof off from what I most desire.

1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 106 He could not feel himself, whilst playing aloof off, to have wheeled about into the selfsame snare.

a1722 J. Whiting Persecution Expos'd (1791) 144 The constable sat on a stile, aloof off.

1762 T. Brooks Cabinet Choice Jewels ii. 140 Every good man must stand aloof off, he must keep at a distance from the occasions of sin.

3. figurative. Frequently with from. Apart from another person or group (with respect to one's attitudes, actions, or interests), usually suggesting a lack of sympathy or common ground. Also: having a conspicuous lack of involvement in a certain situation. Also in extended use, with reference to organizations, attitudes, etc. Usually in to stand (or keep, hold, etc.) aloof (from).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > do nothing [verb (intransitive)] > take no part in action

to stand bya1398

to stand (or keep, hold, etc.) aloof (from)1546

to sit back1869

1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue sig. Aiv^v What helpth in y^e whole To haste or hang a loofe, happy man, happy dole.

1583 G. Babington Very Fruitfull Expos. Commaundem. ix. 449 [Lying]..maketh them hang aloofe, suspect, and be strange one to an other.

1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 193 I'le stand aloofe, And will no reconcilement.

1781 W. Cowper Charity 59 God stood not, though he seemed to stand, aloof.

1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 132 We felt for them as men; but we kept aloof from them.

1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece V. xliii. 287 Sparta it seems kept aloof from this struggle.

1859 D. Masson Life Milton I. 635 The English Puritans held aloof at this time from the poor sectaries.

1879 F. W. Farrar Life & Work St. Paul I. iii. xiii. 236 Peter was not the man to stand coldly aloof.

1958 W. S. Churchill Hist. Eng.-speaking Peoples IV. xx. 283 Parnell stood aloof from these tumults.

1977 J. Carey Thackeray i. 23 Cool reason stood aloof from the popular passions.

1997 W. Dalrymple From Holy Mountain (1998) iv. 210 Fisk..had always tended to keep aloof from his journalistic colleagues.

4. From a distance; from afar. Also with off. Now rare.

ΚΠ

a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Fourth Bk. Aeneas (1554) iv. sig. Bi The strycken Hynde..whych chasing with his dartes Aloofe, the Shepheard Fasteneeth.

1588 J. Aske Elizabetha Triumphans 3 All the rest with her great Seriant did Watch there all night aloofe her royall Court.

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxviii. xxi. 996 k Certaine speares to use aloofe [L. eminus].

1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. vi. ii. sig. Nn1^v Those that gaze at them aloof off.

1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 313 The Lion and fierce Tiger glar'd aloof .

1752 London Mag. Dec. 556/2 He..laughed more than before; which the Abderites observing aloof off, they beat their heads and tore their hair.

1826 G. Borrow tr. A. G. Öhlenschläger in Romantic Ballads 158 What lightens?—'T is Heckla's flame, shooting aloof.

1830 Ld. Tennyson Ode to Memory iv, in Poems 61 Purple cliffs, aloof descried.

1894 M. G. Tuttiett Lays of Dragon Slayer ii. 38 The Wolf's eye gleams From under the covert's leafy wood Where he watches aloof.

1901 E. H. Johnson Relig. Use Imagination iii. 84 Imagination is spectator of it all. It penetrates the depths of the swirling nebulae, watches aloof the influence of suns on planets.

B. int.

†1. Nautical. Used as an order to turn the helm of the ship towards the wind; (in later use) used as an order to sail close to the wind. Cf. luff n.¹ 3. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of wind > [interjection] > order to turn to windward

aloofc1550

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 32 Than the master cryit on the rudir man, mait keip ful and by, a luf.

1587 G. Gascoigne Wks. 165 Aloofe, aloofe then cryed the master out.

1620 J. Taylor Praise of Hemp-seed 12 Aluffe, clap helme a lee.

1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Aloofe, a term used in conding the Ship, when she goes upon a Tack, commonly spoken by the Condoy unto the Steersman, when he doth not keep so near the wind as she may ly.

1725 R. Wolcott Poet. Medit. 25 Aloof for Life; lets try to stem the Tide, The Ship's much Water, thus we may not Ride.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Aloof, The old word for ‘Keep your luff’ in the act of sailing to the wind.

2. gen. Used as a command to someone to leave or move off: ‘go away’, ‘get off’. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1794 R. B. Sheridan Duenna (new ed.) i. 22 I thought that dragon's front of thine wou'd cry aloof to the sons of gallantry.

1851 Eclectic Rev. June 720 Anglican Episcopacy kisses toes from which the Barnabite cries ‘Aloof!’

1917 F. W. Huard My Home in Field of Mercy iii. 78 When the forbidden viands appeared on the menu, [he] always had some specialty dished up for him. I can see him now leaning over Sidi who had stretched out his hand towards the dish—pulling him by the sleeve and shouting ‘Aloof, aloof—not good—no, no.’

C. adj.

†1. Situated at or sent from a distance. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adjective]

sideOE

fara1000

ferrenc1160

lungeteync1330

on dreicha1400

yondera1413

widec1425

roomc1443

lontaignec1450

remote1533

distant1549

remotedc1580

disloigned1596

discoasted1598

dissite1600

far-off1600

aloof1608

longinque1614

distantial1648

Atlantic1790

far-distant1793

far-away1816

far-apart1865

way off1871

1608 G. Chapman Trag. Duke of Byron iii, in Conspiracie Duke of Byron sig. L4 These aloofe abodes.

1642 D. Rogers Naaman 8 A Prophet not to vouchsafe to come..but to send an aloofe message.

2. Lacking affection or warmth of feeling, often in a manner suggesting a (disproportionate) sense of one's own superiority; cold, unfriendly, reserved; not interested in others, distant; characterized by this attitude. Also more generally: detached, disinterested. Frequently in predicative use. rare before 19th cent.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > [adjective] > not affable

strange1338

estrangec1374

formal?1518

cold1557

squeamish1561

icy1567

buckrama1589

repulsive1598

starched1600

unaffable1603

stiff1608

withdrawing1611

reserved1612

aloof1639

cool1641

uncordial1643

inaffable1656

staunch1659

standfra1683

distant1710

starcha1716

distancing1749

pokerish1779

buckramed1793

angular1808

easeless1811

touch-me-not1817

starchy1824

standoffish1826

offish1827

poker-backed1830

standoff1837

stiffish1840

chilly1841

unapproachable1848

hedgehoggy1866

sticky1882

hard-to-get1899

stand-away1938

princesse lointaine1957

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > separation or isolation > [adjective] > detached or non-participating

partlessa1400

sullen1629

aloof1639

remote1775

unparticipate1824

unparticipant1829

non-participating1876

detached1913

the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > [adjective] > emotionally detached

queamishc1430

squeamish1561

dry1637

unconcerned1660

inconcerned1688

aloof1872

stocky1876

detached1913

clinical1928

1639 J. Gore Man for Heaven 9 Come let us chide together; as one friend chides another for being strange and aloofe, & taking distaste without a cause.

1863 J. B. Owen in Lect. Dublin Young Men's Christian Assoc. (1864) 307 The officer was the aloofest feller he'd ever paid a customs to, o' the name o' John Haughty—as well it might be.

1872 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch III. vi. lviii. 287 What that cleverness was—what was the shape into which it had run as into a close network aloof and independent.

1893 A. J. Balfour in Daily News 27 Apr. 6/7 Democracy..perhaps required the cold and aloof reasoning of a statesman like Lord Derby.

1913 Stage Year Bk. 19 The imported ‘yes’ and ‘no’ of an aloof and distant Censor.

1934 H. Nicolson Curzon: Last Phase 8 His public manner..created the legend of a man, conceited, reactionary, unbending and aloof.

1948 D. Cecil Two Quiet Lives i. 14 She..hid her true self behind the shield of an aloof formality.

1976 Ld. Home Way Wind Blows iii. 47 Brilliant, with an ice-cold intellect, aloof, although paradoxically wanting above all to be loved.

1999 M. J. Friedman My Brother's Keeper iii. xxi. 257 He became aloof, arrogant, cruel..the very antithesis of the Gray we all knew.

†3. Difficult to find, contact, or attain; out of reach. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1642 D. Rogers Naaman 548 When he is aloofe to others, they shall haue familiar accesse.

1845 R. C. Trench Fitness Holy Script. vi. 117 Psalms become our own..which before were aloof from us.

†D. prep.

Far from; apart or away from; beyond. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) 42 Rivetus..would fain work himselfe aloof these rocks and quicksands.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 577 Where the great Luminarie Alooff the vulgar Constellations thick..Dispenses Light from farr.

1749 London Mag. Jan. 40/2 Raise my name aloof the vulgar throng.

1859 J. King Flights Phaedo xvii. 55 I soar aloof the ken of mortal eye.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	aloof
释义	aloofadv.int.adj.prep. Brit. /əˈluːf/, U.S. /əˈluf/ Forms: 1500s aloff, 1500s a looffe, 1500s aloufe, 1500s alowfe, 1500s–1600s aloofe, 1500s–1600s a loofe, 1500s– aloof, 1600s a-loof, 1600s a loof, 1600s alooff, 1600s a loufe, 1600s aluff, 1600s aluffe; Scottish pre-1700 a luf, pre-1700 aleaf, pre-1700 alluff, pre-1700 alouf, pre-1700 aluiff. Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: a prep.¹, luff n.¹ Etymology: < a prep.¹ + luff n.¹ (compare on luff at luff n.¹ 3, at a luff at luff n.¹ 3, and variant forms at that entry). Compare a-weather adv. and earlier alee adv.With sense A. 1 perhaps compare Middle French au louf du vent to the windward side (2nd half of the 15th cent.); with use as interjection in sense B. 1 compare also French olof! , au lof! , interjection used as an order to turn the helm of a ship towards the wind (late 17th cent. or earlier). From the original use in nautical language, with reference to a technique of sailing intended to keep a ship clear of the lee shore, developed the more general English senses relating to the concepts of physical and emotional distance. In later use as a preposition (compare D.) perhaps influenced semantically by association with aloft adv. I. A. adv. 1. Nautical. To the windward side; towards the direction from which the wind blows; (in later use) esp. on a course close to the wind, usually so as to stay clear of the shore or a hazard. Frequently in to keep aloof: to sail close to the wind (cf. to keep one's luff at luff n.¹ 3). Now historical. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of wind > [adverb] > to windward aloofa1535 a-weather1589 up1591 a1535 T. More Confut. Barnes in Wks. (1557) 759/2 This anker lyeth to farre aloufe fro thys shyppe. 1592 W. Wyrley Lord Chandos in True Vse Armorie 33 A looffe to winde-ward all our Nauie wride [= turned], To view the turne right goodlie was the sight. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. xv.162 Aloof, when the Ship falls off from the Wind, she goes aloof. 1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey II. ix. 635 With all our force we kept aloof to sea. 1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 19 The mizen draws; she springs aloof once more. 1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 52 While aloof from Retimo she steers. 1805 Aberdeen Jrnl. 27 Nov. Four more [ships] kept aloof off the bar, waiting a favourable opportunity to get in. 1887 W. Morris tr. Homer Odyssey I. xii. 222 Drive thou the ship aloof through the reek and the wallowing sea. 1902 J. Payne Poet. Wks. II. 350 Silence on the sea, Silence in the sky, Nought aloof, a-lee, Not a cloud on high. 1990 G. Hammond Fleeting Things vi. 166 Desperate calls for it to steer alee or aloof signal the paralysis of those onboard. 2. gen. a. To or at a distance from something; far off; separately, apart. Now usually with from.Now often coloured by sense A. 3. ΘΚΠ the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adverb] > kept or placed at a distance apart a-squarec1460 ysowndir1513 aloof1544 loof1558 aloof off?a1560 clear1600 large1670 abeighc1707 overhand1816 aloofly1891 remotely1897 1544 P. Betham tr. J. di Porcia Preceptes Warre i. 38 Stray this waye and that waye, somtyme nye, and somtyme aloofe. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark xiv. 54 Howbeit he folowed Jesus aloofe. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxxiii The lord Walonne and the Burgonions kept them a loofe. a1554 J. Croke tr. Thirteen Psalms (1844) cii. 20 No frende draweth nere, I syt alowfe. 1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 54 Solide and grounded courses to keep them [sc. dangers and mischiefs] aloofe. 1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. iii. x. §8.120 With troupes of the light-armed-shot and slingers, compelled the enemie to lie a-loof. a1635 R. Corbet Iter Boreale in Certain Elegant Poems (1647) 9 Wee care not for those glorious lampes aloofe. 1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 78 To keep infection aloof. 1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. v. 562 They stand aloof Quaking. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 328 He quitted his seat, and stood aloof. 1878 R. W. Emerson Sov. Ethics in N. Amer. Rev. 126 406 Heat is not separate, light is not massed aloof. 1905 J. E. Rogers Tree Bk. i. xxvii. 210 The uplands only satisfy this Western black oak. It holds aloof from the plains and keeps back from the sea. 1993 L. Davies Work, Sex & Rugby 126 Two foundation stones stood apart, slightly aloof from the common Pennant, the more expensive but more soluble limestone maintaining a respectable distance from the general mass. 2010 F. S. Kleiner Gardner's Art through Ages (ed. 13) iii. 50 In this painted tomb relief, the deceased stands aloof from the hunters busily spearing hippopotami. †b. aloof off: = sense A. 2. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adverb] > kept or placed at a distance apart a-squarec1460 ysowndir1513 aloof1544 loof1558 aloof off?a1560 clear1600 large1670 abeighc1707 overhand1816 aloofly1891 remotely1897 ?a1560 L. Digges Geom. Pract.: Pantometria (1571) i. xxx. sig. Iiv You desire with shotte to beat the enemie aloofe of. 1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. S. Paule to Timothie & Titus 130/2 He withdraweth him selfe, and keepeth him selfe a loofe off. 1618 Hist. P. Warbeck in Harl. Misc. (1793) 82 A true woman's part..in standing a-loof off from what I most desire. 1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 106 He could not feel himself, whilst playing aloof off, to have wheeled about into the selfsame snare. a1722 J. Whiting Persecution Expos'd (1791) 144 The constable sat on a stile, aloof off. 1762 T. Brooks Cabinet Choice Jewels ii. 140 Every good man must stand aloof off, he must keep at a distance from the occasions of sin. 3. figurative. Frequently with from. Apart from another person or group (with respect to one's attitudes, actions, or interests), usually suggesting a lack of sympathy or common ground. Also: having a conspicuous lack of involvement in a certain situation. Also in extended use, with reference to organizations, attitudes, etc. Usually in to stand (or keep, hold, etc.) aloof (from). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > do nothing [verb (intransitive)] > take no part in action to stand bya1398 to stand (or keep, hold, etc.) aloof (from)1546 to sit back1869 1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue sig. Aiv^v What helpth in y^e whole To haste or hang a loofe, happy man, happy dole. 1583 G. Babington Very Fruitfull Expos. Commaundem. ix. 449 [Lying]..maketh them hang aloofe, suspect, and be strange one to an other. 1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 193 I'le stand aloofe, And will no reconcilement. 1781 W. Cowper Charity 59 God stood not, though he seemed to stand, aloof. 1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 132 We felt for them as men; but we kept aloof from them. View more context for this quotation 1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece V. xliii. 287 Sparta it seems kept aloof from this struggle. 1859 D. Masson Life Milton I. 635 The English Puritans held aloof at this time from the poor sectaries. 1879 F. W. Farrar Life & Work St. Paul I. iii. xiii. 236 Peter was not the man to stand coldly aloof. 1958 W. S. Churchill Hist. Eng.-speaking Peoples IV. xx. 283 Parnell stood aloof from these tumults. 1977 J. Carey Thackeray i. 23 Cool reason stood aloof from the popular passions. 1997 W. Dalrymple From Holy Mountain (1998) iv. 210 Fisk..had always tended to keep aloof from his journalistic colleagues. 4. From a distance; from afar. Also with off. Now rare. ΚΠ a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Fourth Bk. Aeneas (1554) iv. sig. Bi The strycken Hynde..whych chasing with his dartes Aloofe, the Shepheard Fasteneeth. 1588 J. Aske Elizabetha Triumphans 3 All the rest with her great Seriant did Watch there all night aloofe her royall Court. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxviii. xxi. 996 k Certaine speares to use aloofe [L. eminus]. 1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. vi. ii. sig. Nn1^v Those that gaze at them aloof off. 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 313 The Lion and fierce Tiger glar'd aloof . View more context for this quotation 1752 London Mag. Dec. 556/2 He..laughed more than before; which the Abderites observing aloof off, they beat their heads and tore their hair. 1826 G. Borrow tr. A. G. Öhlenschläger in Romantic Ballads 158 What lightens?—'T is Heckla's flame, shooting aloof. 1830 Ld. Tennyson Ode to Memory iv, in Poems 61 Purple cliffs, aloof descried. 1894 M. G. Tuttiett Lays of Dragon Slayer ii. 38 The Wolf's eye gleams From under the covert's leafy wood Where he watches aloof. 1901 E. H. Johnson Relig. Use Imagination iii. 84 Imagination is spectator of it all. It penetrates the depths of the swirling nebulae, watches aloof the influence of suns on planets. B. int. †1. Nautical. Used as an order to turn the helm of the ship towards the wind; (in later use) used as an order to sail close to the wind. Cf. luff n.¹ 3. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of wind > [interjection] > order to turn to windward aloofc1550 c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 32 Than the master cryit on the rudir man, mait keip ful and by, a luf. 1587 G. Gascoigne Wks. 165 Aloofe, aloofe then cryed the master out. 1620 J. Taylor Praise of Hemp-seed 12 Aluffe, clap helme a lee. 1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Aloofe, a term used in conding the Ship, when she goes upon a Tack, commonly spoken by the Condoy unto the Steersman, when he doth not keep so near the wind as she may ly. 1725 R. Wolcott Poet. Medit. 25 Aloof for Life; lets try to stem the Tide, The Ship's much Water, thus we may not Ride. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Aloof, The old word for ‘Keep your luff’ in the act of sailing to the wind. 2. gen. Used as a command to someone to leave or move off: ‘go away’, ‘get off’. Now rare. ΚΠ 1794 R. B. Sheridan Duenna (new ed.) i. 22 I thought that dragon's front of thine wou'd cry aloof to the sons of gallantry. 1851 Eclectic Rev. June 720 Anglican Episcopacy kisses toes from which the Barnabite cries ‘Aloof!’ 1917 F. W. Huard My Home in Field of Mercy iii. 78 When the forbidden viands appeared on the menu, [he] always had some specialty dished up for him. I can see him now leaning over Sidi who had stretched out his hand towards the dish—pulling him by the sleeve and shouting ‘Aloof, aloof—not good—no, no.’ C. adj. †1. Situated at or sent from a distance. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adjective] sideOE fara1000 ferrenc1160 lungeteync1330 on dreicha1400 yondera1413 widec1425 roomc1443 lontaignec1450 remote1533 distant1549 remotedc1580 disloigned1596 discoasted1598 dissite1600 far-off1600 aloof1608 longinque1614 distantial1648 Atlantic1790 far-distant1793 far-away1816 far-apart1865 way off1871 1608 G. Chapman Trag. Duke of Byron iii, in Conspiracie Duke of Byron sig. L4 These aloofe abodes. 1642 D. Rogers Naaman 8 A Prophet not to vouchsafe to come..but to send an aloofe message. 2. Lacking affection or warmth of feeling, often in a manner suggesting a (disproportionate) sense of one's own superiority; cold, unfriendly, reserved; not interested in others, distant; characterized by this attitude. Also more generally: detached, disinterested. Frequently in predicative use. rare before 19th cent. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > [adjective] > not affable strange1338 estrangec1374 formal?1518 cold1557 squeamish1561 icy1567 buckrama1589 repulsive1598 starched1600 unaffable1603 stiff1608 withdrawing1611 reserved1612 aloof1639 cool1641 uncordial1643 inaffable1656 staunch1659 standfra1683 distant1710 starcha1716 distancing1749 pokerish1779 buckramed1793 angular1808 easeless1811 touch-me-not1817 starchy1824 standoffish1826 offish1827 poker-backed1830 standoff1837 stiffish1840 chilly1841 unapproachable1848 hedgehoggy1866 sticky1882 hard-to-get1899 stand-away1938 princesse lointaine1957 society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > separation or isolation > [adjective] > detached or non-participating partlessa1400 sullen1629 aloof1639 remote1775 unparticipate1824 unparticipant1829 non-participating1876 detached1913 the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > [adjective] > emotionally detached queamishc1430 squeamish1561 dry1637 unconcerned1660 inconcerned1688 aloof1872 stocky1876 detached1913 clinical1928 1639 J. Gore Man for Heaven 9 Come let us chide together; as one friend chides another for being strange and aloofe, & taking distaste without a cause. 1863 J. B. Owen in Lect. Dublin Young Men's Christian Assoc. (1864) 307 The officer was the aloofest feller he'd ever paid a customs to, o' the name o' John Haughty—as well it might be. 1872 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch III. vi. lviii. 287 What that cleverness was—what was the shape into which it had run as into a close network aloof and independent. 1893 A. J. Balfour in Daily News 27 Apr. 6/7 Democracy..perhaps required the cold and aloof reasoning of a statesman like Lord Derby. 1913 Stage Year Bk. 19 The imported ‘yes’ and ‘no’ of an aloof and distant Censor. 1934 H. Nicolson Curzon: Last Phase 8 His public manner..created the legend of a man, conceited, reactionary, unbending and aloof. 1948 D. Cecil Two Quiet Lives i. 14 She..hid her true self behind the shield of an aloof formality. 1976 Ld. Home Way Wind Blows iii. 47 Brilliant, with an ice-cold intellect, aloof, although paradoxically wanting above all to be loved. 1999 M. J. Friedman My Brother's Keeper iii. xxi. 257 He became aloof, arrogant, cruel..the very antithesis of the Gray we all knew. †3. Difficult to find, contact, or attain; out of reach. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1642 D. Rogers Naaman 548 When he is aloofe to others, they shall haue familiar accesse. 1845 R. C. Trench Fitness Holy Script. vi. 117 Psalms become our own..which before were aloof from us. †D. prep. Far from; apart or away from; beyond. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) 42 Rivetus..would fain work himselfe aloof these rocks and quicksands. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 577 Where the great Luminarie Alooff the vulgar Constellations thick..Dispenses Light from farr. View more context for this quotation 1749 London Mag. Jan. 40/2 Raise my name aloof the vulgar throng. 1859 J. King Flights Phaedo xvii. 55 I soar aloof the ken of mortal eye. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adv.int.adj.prep.a1535
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