offing - \AW-fing, OF-ing\

noun 1. the more distant part of the sea seen from the shore, beyond the anchoring ground. 2. a position at a distance from shore.

Quotes

The offing was barred by a black band of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the outermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky--seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. -- Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 1902

Origin

Offing is formed from the adverb off meaning "away from a place" and the suffix -ing. It entered English in the early 1600s.