aback

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈbæk/ (General American) IPA(key): /əˈbæk/ (Geordie) IPA(key): /aˈbak/ Rhymes: -æk === Etymology 1 === From Middle English abak, from Old English onbæc, equivalent to a- (“towards”) +‎ back. Compare West Frisian tebek (“aback”, adverb, literally “to/at back”), Swedish tillbaka (idem.). ==== Adverb ==== aback (not comparable) (archaic, Geordie) Towards the back or rear; backwards. [First attested prior to 1150.] (archaic) In the rear; a distance behind. [First attested prior to 1150.] By surprise; startled; dumbfounded. (see usage) (nautical) Backward against the mast; said of the sails when pressed by the wind from the "wrong" (forward) side, or of a ship when its sails are set that way. [First attested in the late 17th century.] ===== Usage notes ===== (by surprise): Preceded by a form of the word take, see take aback. ===== Synonyms ===== ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== back Category:English phrasal verbs with particle (aback) === Etymology 2 === From Latin abacus. ==== Noun ==== aback (plural abacks) (obsolete, Early Modern) An inscribed stone square. === References === Scott Dobson, Dick Irwin, “aback”, in Newcastle 1970s: Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group‎[1], archived from the original on 5 September 2024. === Anagrams === Baack, Bačka == Scots == === Alternative forms === a-back === Etymology === From Middle English abak, from Old English onbæc, equivalent to a- +‎ back. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /əˈbɑk/ === Adverb === aback behind, in the rear away, aloof, off since, ago ==== Derived terms ==== aback o' === References === “aback, adv.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.