/aground-meaning-etymology

-) Adverb.

-) Pronunciation and accent: əgraʊnd. 

-) Etymology: it is analysed into “a” (obsolete preposition for ON) + GROUND. 

-) It is dated from the beginning of 1200.

-) Meaning: -) a. Obsolete: (of direction or position) on the ground; on the earth. -) b. (Of a ship, boat, or anything floatable) having the bottom on the ground; ashore; stranded; on the shallow bottom of a river, lake, etc., where it is no longer afloat.

-) Antonym: afloat.

-) Syntax: to run aground, to aground, to be aground, to get aground, to lay aground. 

-) Translation: échoué, in French; encallado, in Spanish; in secca, in Italian.

My boat, which was known to all the watermen above bridge, was found at daylight laying aground at Milbank, having only one scull in her.

A. Spencer… Memoirs… Hickey… 1749-1775

Ramon, after three days navigation, having the misfortune to run aground on a sand-bank, was killed by the Indians with some of his people.

S. Wilcocke… Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires… 1807

We set sail that same day from Pemba, being the 20th December, and by midnight, our ship got aground on the shoals of Melinda, or Pemba, which we were not aware of, but got off again, by backing our sails, as the wind was very moderate.

R. Kerr… Voyages and Travels… 1811

… the tides run with such rapidity as to overset ships that are not aground.

R. Kerr… Voyages and Travels… 1824

We at first endeavoured to pull her [the canoe] into the deep water, beyond the reach of the savages, but, finding her too firmly aground, and there being no time to spare, Peters, with one or two heavy strokes from the butt of the musket, succeeded in dashing out a large portion of the bow and of one side. 

Poe… The Narrative… 1838

The surf was already foaming high over the wreck. Blow followed blow. The black hull kicked up its heels, to go aground more violently than ever.

Hood’s Magazine…, vol. II… 1844

Many of the boats from Point Levi ran aground on a shallow in the river.

Irving… Washington… 1855-1859

As the depth of water at the ship was only eighty-two fathoms, there was reason to believe that the whole of the icebergs in-shore of us were aground.

W. Scoresby… Journal of a voyage… 1859

We were aground in the night and detained by a fog.

T. Knox… The oriental world… 1879

At dusk, they ran the canoe aground on a sheltered beach, and Agatha landed, feeling very tired and cold.

H. Bindloss… The Lure of the North… 1918