Af"ri*can (&?;), a. [L. Africus, Africanus, fr. Afer African.] Of or pertaining to Africa.
African hemp, a fiber prepared from the leaves of the Sanseviera Guineensis, a plant found in Africa and India. - - African marigold, a tropical American plant (Tagetes erecta). -- African oak or African teak, a timber furnished by Oldfieldia Africana, used in ship building.
Af"ri*can, n. A native of Africa; also one ethnologically belonging to an African race.
Af`ri*can"der (&?;), n. One born in Africa, the offspring of a white father and a "colored" mother. Also, and now commonly in Southern Africa, a native born of European settlers.
Af"ri*can*ism (&?;), n. A word, phrase, idiom, or custom peculiar to Africa or Africans. "The knotty Africanisms . . . of the fathers." Milton.
Af"ri*can*ize (&?;), v. t. To place under the domination of Africans or negroes. [Amer.] Bartlett.
Af"rit (&?;), Af"rite(&?;), Af"reet(&?;), n. [Arab. 'ifrt.] (Moham. Myth.) A powerful evil jinnee, demon, or monstrous giant.
A*front" (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + front.] In front; face to face. -- prep. In front of. Shak.
Aft (ft), adv. & a. [AS. æftan behind; orig. superl. of of, off. See After.] (Naut.) Near or towards the stern of a vessel; astern; abaft.
Aft"er (ft"tr), a. [AS. æfter after, behind; akin to Goth. aftaro, aftra, backwards, Icel. aptr, Sw. and Dan. efter, OHG. aftar behind, Dutch and LG. achter, Gr. 'apwte`rw further off. The ending -ter is an old comparative suffix, in E. generally -ther (as in other), and after is a compar. of of, off. √194. See Of; cf. Aft.] 1. Next; later in time; subsequent; succeeding; as, an after period of life. Marshall.
In this sense the word is sometimes needlessly combined with the following noun, by means of a hyphen, as, after-ages, after- act, after-days, after-life. For the most part the words are properly kept separate when after has this meaning.
2. Hinder; nearer the rear. (Naut.) To ward the stern of the ship; -- applied to any object in the rear part of a vessel; as the after cabin, after hatchway. It is often combined with its noun; as, after-bowlines, after-braces, after-sails, after-yards, those on the mainmasts and mizzenmasts.
After body (Naut.), the part of a ship abaft the dead flat, or middle part.
Aft"er, prep. 1. Behind in place; as, men in line one after another. "Shut doors after you." Shak.