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aloof. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
aloof, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
aloof in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
aloof you have here. The definition of the word
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aloof, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English loof (“weather gage, windward direction”), probably from Middle Dutch (Compare Dutch loef (“the weather side of a ship”)), originally a nautical order to keep the ship's head to the wind, thus to stay clear of a lee-shore or some other quarter, hence the figurative sense of "at a distance, apart".
Pronunciation
Adverb
aloof (comparative more aloof, superlative most aloof)
- At or from a distance, but within view, or at a small distance; apart; away.
1697, John Dryden, “Part 13”, in Virgil's Aeneid, Harvard Classics edition, translation of original by Virgil, published 2004, page 113:The noise approaches, tho' our palace stood
Aloof from streets, encompass'd with a wood
1922, Ben Travers, chapter 2, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:Mother […] considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres.
- Without sympathy; unfavorably.
1832, Isaac Taylor, Saturday evening, page 363:But to open the Bible in this spirit — to take the Book as from the hand of God, and then to look at it aloof, and with caution, as if throughout it were illusory and enigmatical, is the worst of all impieties.
Translations
at or from a distance
- Arabic: بَعِيدًا عَنّ (baʕīdan ʕann), بِمَعْزِل عَن (bi-maʕzil ʕan)
- Bulgarian: настрани (bg) (nastrani), отделно (bg) (otdelno)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 遠離/远离 (zh) (yuǎnlí), 避開/避开 (zh) (bìkāi)
- Czech: opodál (cs)
- Dutch: apart (nl), afstandelijk (nl)
- Finnish: erillään (fi), syrjässä (fi), syrjästä
- French: à l’écart, à distance
- Galician: a distancia
- German: (ein Stück) entfernt, auf (etwas) Abstand
- Maori: whiwhiu
- Portuguese: à distância (pt), a distância (pt)
- Romanian: distant (ro), deoparte (ro)
- Russian: поо́даль (ru) (poódalʹ), в стороне́ (ru) (v storoné)
- Scottish Gaelic: fad às
- Serbo-Croatian: apartan (sh) m, distanciran (sh) m, rezerviran (sh) m
- Spanish: apartado (es), distante (es)
- Turkish: ötede
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Adjective
aloof (comparative more aloof, superlative most aloof)
- Reserved and remote; either physically or emotionally distant; standoffish.
1906, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], Time and the Gods, London: William Heineman, →OCLC, page 3:None may ever hear the speech of the poets of that city, to whom the gods have spoken. It stands a city aloof. There hath been no rumour of it—I alone have dreamed of it, and I may not be sure that my dreams are true.
Derived terms
Translations
reserved and remote; either physically or emotionally distant
- Bulgarian: сдържан (bg) (sdǎržan), резервиран (bg) (rezerviran)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 保守的 (zh), 疏遠的/疏远的 (zh)
- Czech: odměřený (cs), odtažitý
- Danish: reserveret, menneskesky
- Dutch: gereserveerd (nl), afstandelijk (nl), terughoudend (nl)
- Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
- Estonian: please add this translation if you can
- Finnish: etäinen (fi), varautunut (fi), kylmäkiskoinen (fi)
- French: distant (fr), dédaigneux (fr), réservé (fr)
- Galician: distante m or f
- German: distanziert (de), menschenscheu, zurückhaltend (de), reserviert (de), unnahbar (de)
- Greek: αποστασιοποιημένος (el) (apostasiopoiiménos)
- Hungarian: tartózkodó (hu)
- Italian: distaccato (it)
- Japanese: please add this translation if you can
- Latvian: please add this translation if you can
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Plautdietsch: huachnäsich
- Polish: trzymający się z dala, z dystansem, z rezerwą
- Portuguese: alijado (pt) m
- Russian: отчуждённый (ru) (otčuždjónnyj), стороня́щийся (ru) (storonjáščijsja), сде́ржанный (ru) (sdéržannyj) (reserved), отстранённый (ru) (otstranjónnyj), безучастный (ru) (bezučastnyj)
- Scottish Gaelic: fad às
- Spanish: alejado (es), reservado (es), distante (es)
- Swedish: reserverad (sv)
- Turkish: mesafeli (tr) (usually emotionally distant), soğuk (tr) (figurative, emotionally distant)
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Preposition
aloof
- (obsolete) Away from; clear of.
See also
References
Anagrams