aloof [M16th] Aloof was originally a nautical term for an order to steer a ship as close as possible towards the wind. It literally means ‘to windward’, loof (or luff [LME]) being an old term meaning ‘windward direction’. The idea was that keeping the bow of the ship close to the wind kept it clear of the shore. The sense of keeping yourself apart or uninvolved is recorded only a few years later than the core sense.