Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Astern \A*stern"\, adv. [Pref. a- + stern.] (Naut.)
   1. In or at the hinder part of a ship; toward the hinder
      part, or stern; backward; as, to go astern.

   2. Behind a ship; in the rear. ``A gale of wind right
      astern.'' --De Foe. ``Left this strait astern.'' --Drake.

   {To bake astern}, to go stern foremost.

   {To be astern of the reckoning}, to be behind the position
      given by the reckoning.

   {To drop astern}, to fall or be left behind.

   {To go astern}, to go backward, as from the action of
      currents or winds.