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afar

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An archaic adverb meaning at, from, or to a great distance; it commonly creates a sense of separation, remoteness, or longing in verse.

Detailed Definition
Afar is an old or literary word meaning far away. It often appears in poetry to create a distant, dreamlike, or elevated tone.
Example
Example in poetry:
“I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter” uses afar for “at a distance”; “Afar, the train’s horn thinned into fog” creates physical and sonic distance; “Stars burn afar beyond the city haze” gives an elevated poetic register; The word can also suggest emotional remoteness: “Afar from home, he counted tides”
Additional Notes
The word is a literary/archaic adverb that many modern readers may not use regularly.; Found in the poem, I Hear an Army by James Joyce
Also Known As
distant remote far-off away
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