Meaning & use
alee
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Meanings
adverbnot comparabletechnical
On or toward the side of a ship that faces away from the wind.
Grammar: Used after a verb in sailing talk: hard alee, the helm is alee.
Patterns
- helm alee
- hard alee
The captain shouted, 'Helm's alee!' before turning the boat.
The sails flapped when the wheel was put alee.
Spray stayed dry on the crew who sat alee.
adverbnot comparableliterary
Sheltered from the wind, often on the side of a hill or building.
Grammar: Rare outside sailing and poetry.
Patterns
- lie alee
The fishing boats lay alee of the island.
We sheltered alee of the dune.
Common combinations
- helm's alee
- The skipper called, 'Helm's alee!' as the boat turned.
- hard alee
- The sailor yelled hard alee to turn the bow.
- lie alee
- The ship lay alee of the cliffs.
- alee of the island
- They anchored alee of the island.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leeward
- Leeward is the more common word and works as adjective, adverb or noun.
- downwind
- Downwind is general language for away from the wind, not limited to ships.
- sheltered
- Sheltered only says protected, not which side the wind comes from.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: alee or ally? alee or aloe?
alee vs ally
Ally is a partner or friend, not a sailing position.
alee vs aloe
Aloe is a plant used in skin care, sounding unrelated apart from a vague echo.
Practice
When a sailor calls 'hard alee', the boat is about to turn in which direction relative to the wind?
Choose one answer.
Hard alee is the command to tack, turning the bow through the wind. Alee itself names the sheltered side, but the maneuver turns the bow toward the wind.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “alee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.