ablaze
: on fire, burning strongly
"By the time firefighters arrived, the entire complex was ablaze"
From "blaze" with the prefix “a-”
aft
: in, near, or toward the stern of a ship
This word is now purely nautical. From Old English æftan "from behind, behind, farthest back," superlative of æf, af, of "away, away from, off"
Related: fore-and-aft
Tags: nautical
allay
: to reduce in intensity, and related senses
"Rations had been distributed to allay the townspeople's hunger"
From Middle English alegen, from Old English alecgan “to put down, suppress, lessen,” with the a-prefix from Old English lecgan (lay) “to lie down, put down"
Tags: verb
amiss
: wrong; not quite right;
"Something seemed amiss in the way he avoided the question"
From Old English missan "fail to hit, miss a mark"
Tags: adjective
avast
: stop; hold still (especially a ship or crew)
"Avast! Hoist the sails and secure the deck!"
From Dutch houd vast “hold fast” adopted into English nautical slang in the 17th century
Tags: interjectionnautical
awry
: off course; amiss; not as intended
"Something had gone awry with their plans, and the assassination was foiled"
From Middle English wry "to contort, twist ones neck, deviate from a straight course," from Old English wrigian "to turn, bend"
Tags: adjective