" word that drifted into English from Holland, where English itself was born around the 11th century, according to Melvyn Bragg. From the Dutch a-loef, luff, to steer into the wind to avoid danger and away from the shore. Figuratively, aloof proved to be a strong metaphor for the desire of many sailors and landlubbers alike to steer away from people; it drifted out to sea in its current meaning, as the American Heritage Dictionary defines it: “being without a community of feeling, distant, indifferent. "

― Phil Cousineau , The Painted Word: A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins