ashore means on the land as opposed to onboard. It carries an Arena rating of 1507, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ashore ranks #216 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,145 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #4,448 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #6,850 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
ashore is pronounced /əˈʃɔː/.
Why “ashore” is a great word
To or onto the land from the direction of the sea or a body of water. From the prefix a- (meaning 'on, in, at') + shore (meaning 'land bordering a body of water'), first recorded in use 1580–90. Unlike “onshore,” which describes a fixed position or a wind blowing landward, or “aground,” which describes a vessel lodged helplessly on the bottom, “ashore” is the word for deliberate arrival. It is the final scrape of a wooden hull on gravel, the sodden weight of a sailor’s boots on solid earth, and the relief of setting down a cargo that has rolled with the waves for weeks—the tentative first step into a world of stillness.
Etymology
From a- + shore; see also onshore.
adv
- On the land as opposed to onboard.e.g.“I shall no more to sea, to sea, / Here shall I die ashore—[…]” — 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published
- On, or towards the shore.e.g.“The canoe sailed ashore.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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