Etymology
Origin of asea
Explanation
If you're asea, you're out on the ocean. When your tiny rowboat is asea, you'll have to paddle hard against the tide to make it back to shore. Use the adverb asea to describe the direction "toward the sea," or to talk about something that's floating or sailing on the sea. When your friend explains why he moved to an island, he could say that he loves going asea on a ferry every time he needs groceries. The word is from the 1850s, a combination of a-, "to" or "toward," and sea, from its Old English root, sæ, "sheet of water."
Vocabulary lists containing asea
Scrabble: Four-Letter Words with 3 Vowels
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
4-letter words, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last week she was asea, enroute for her Switzerland home.
From Time Magazine Archive
"When the boat was asea there were still lights at the fairing hall, and they were not our lights, nor did the dead carry them," she said slowly.
From Key Out of Time by Norton, Andre
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
