▪ I. baft
Also 6 boffeta, 6–8 bafta, 9 baftah
[Prob. a. Pers. baft, wrought, woven.]
A kind of coarse and cheap (generally cotton) fabric, originally of oriental manufacture, but now made in Great Britain for export, especially to Africa.
| 1598 W. Phillips Linschoten's Trav. Ind. 18 Cotton Linnen of various sorts..Boffetas. 1612 Purchas Pilgr. I. 347 Baftas or white Callicos. 1722 Lond. Gaz. No. 6079/7 A Parcel of..Pelongs, Cuttanees, chequer'd Bafts, Nillaes, etc. 1779 Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 106 They purchase blue and red baftaes from the Chinese. 1845 Stocqueler Handbk. Brit. India (1854) 195 Some silk manufactories here [Bhaugulpore]..produce a coarse stuff, called baftah. 1876 R. Burton Gorilla L. I. 155 Blue baft from which the stiffening has been washed out. |
▪ II. baft, adv. and prep.
(bɑːft, -æ-)
Forms: 1 beæftan, bæftan, -on, -en, 1–3 bæfte, 2 bieften, befte, 3 biæften, biaften, (bafftenn), baften, bæfte, bafte, 4 bafft, 7 be-aft, 3–4, 7–9 baft.
[OE. beæftan, f. be by, at + æftan = Goth. aftana behind. Cf. aft.]
A. adv.
1. Of place: Behind, in the rear; in later usage only Naut.: Astern, aft, abaft. arch.
| c 885 K. ælfred Oros. i. x. §3 Micel ðæs heres ðe mid hiere beæftan wæs. 1205 Lay. 26927 Þa weoren heo biuoren, and Bruttes biaften. a 1300 E.E. Psalter lxxviii. 66 He smate his faas in baft. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. C. 148 Þe bur ber to hit baft þat braste alle her gere. 1687 Lond. Gaz. No. 2272/4 Long Hatches from Fore and baft. 1759 Lond. Mag. XXVIII. 32 The powder room..was be-aft. 1837 Marryat Dog-Fiend xiii, ‘Are they all forward?’..‘Yes..not one soul baft.’ |
† 2. Of time: After. Obs. rare.
| 1205 Lay. 31946 Hit ilomp inne frimdæȝen, feor her biæften. |
† B. prep. [orig. only the adv. with dative of reference.] Behind, to the rear of. Obs.
| a 800 O.E. Chron. an. 755 Þæs cyninges þeᵹnas þe him be æftan wærun [Laud, bæfton]..Þa men þe he be æftan him læfde ær [Laud, be æfton]. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xvi. 23 Gang bæftan me, Satanas! c 1160 Hatton G. ibid., Gange befte me. c 1200 Ormin 14688 Tacc þær an shep bafftenn þin bacc. 1205 Lay. 26957 Richer and Beduer wenden heom bafte. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1333 Biaften bak he saȝ a s[c]ep. c 1400 Beryn 1576 Euery man..tofore the Shipp & bafft. |