fore-and-aft

[ fawr-uhnd-aft, -ahft, fohr- ]

adjective

1. located along or parallel to a line from the stem to the stern.

adverb

1. fore ¹( def 10 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of fore-and-aft¹

First recorded in 1610–20

Idioms and Phrases

Both front and back, everywhere, as in The children clung to the teacher fore and aft . This expression is nautical terminology for the bow, or front, and the stern, or back, of a vessel. Today it is also used more broadly. [First half of 1600s]

Example Sentences

The two lines defined a void in between, where a continuous wall of sliding panels, fore and aft, opened to gardens between the facade and the rooms.

From New York Times

“See those bamboo logs athwart the boat, fore and aft, sticking out over the water, with the other logs joining their ends?”

From Literature

Along with khakis and the camouflage-patterned standard Navy working uniform, the ship’s company dons the same outfits worn by sailors in the War of 1812, including the Napoleonic-era “fore and aft” hat for officers.

From Washington Times

Below the waterline, it works somewhat like an upside down air drone: two propellers, fore and aft, and two thrusters on either side of the bow, allow it to manoeuvre nimbly, including smooth berthing that would put most human skippers to shame.

From Reuters

“Adults look fore and aft, and pine for what is not.”

From Washington Post