Alow

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Situated in a low position, especially down below the deck of a ship
2. Positioned lower down, particularly beneath the deck on a vessel
3. Found in a low place, most often below the decks of a sailing ship

Etymology: "Alow" is a nautical word meaning "below, in a low place," especially below the decks of a ship. Its origin is more ordinary than its sea-going sense suggests: it is built from the prefix "a-", meaning "on" or "in," attached to "low," the same word that means not high. Middle English speakers used the form "alowe" in exactly this way, so the word describes a position rather than a motion. The source also offers a second, older route, in which "low" is not the adjective but a noun meaning "flame," giving "a-" plus "low" in the sense of "on fire." That reading is the one that matters for a reader wondering why a word about depth would mean "aflame." The two explanations are presented as alternatives, and the everyday "low" explanation fits the sense of the word in use, so the flame origin is best treated as a separate, less certain idea rather than the main story.

Synonyms: below, beneath

Antonyms: aloft