How can the word aloof be used in a sentence? Related words include the adverb aloofly and the noun aloofness. It has been used figuratively to mean apart or withdrawn since the 1600s. This was then used to mean at a distance but still within view. This was originally used in nautical orders in order to keep the front of the ship facing the wind and therefore to steer clear of any lee-shore or quarter. These words were used to mean the weather side of a ship. It is likely that this word came from the Ditch loef or Middle Dutch lof which also gave us the word luff. Then, it meant “to windward.” This was taken from the prefix a- meaning on, and the root is in the Middle English loof, meaning windward direction.
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