Word: back Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back From Middle English bak, from Old English bæc, from Proto-West Germanic *bak, from Proto-Germanic *baką, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- (“to bend”). The adverb represents an aphetic form of aback. Compare Middle Low German bak (“back”), from Old Saxon bak, and West Frisian bekling (“chair back”), Old High German bah, Swedish and Norwegian bak. Cognate with German Bache (“sow [adult female hog]”). Pronunciation: /bæk/, [bæk], [bak], [-k̚], [-ˀk] 1. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Could you please scratch my back? Example: It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the other hedge, it was quite easy to fancy it the verge of the prairie with the backwoods close by. 2. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I hurt my back lifting those crates. 3. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: Take the average black man and ask him that. She gotta pack much back. Example: He got his hand on her behind and caressed her firm, ample flesh.[…]“You got some back on you, girl.” 4. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: I still need to finish the back of your dress. 5. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Can you fix the back of this chair? 6. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable Example: Do thou but think / What ’tis to cram a maw or clothe a back / From such a filthy vice 7. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He sat in the back of the room. 8. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Turn the book over and look at the back. 9. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The titles are printed on the backs of the books. 10. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Convenience and custom have familiarised us to the printed page being a little higher than the middle of the leaf, and to its having a little more margin at the fore edge than in the back. 11. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Tap it with the back of your knife. 12. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I hung the clothes on the back of the door. 13. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: We’ll meet out in the back of the library. Example: Are you sure you're totally out of hair gel? Could you please check in the back? 14. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The car was near the back of the train. 15. That which is farthest away from the front. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The backs were lined up in an I formation. Example: […]Rovers were also aided by some poor defending from West Brom, whose lapses at the back undid their excellent work on the ball and condemned Roberto di Matteo's Baggies side to a third straight defeat. 16. The upper part of a natural object which is considered to resemble an animal’s back. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: The small boat raced over the backs of the waves. 17. A support or resource in reserve. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: This project / Should have a back or second, that might hold, / If this should blast in proof. 18. The keel and keelson of a ship. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The ship’s back broke in the pounding surf. 19. The roof of a horizontal underground passage. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The stope is kept full of broken ore, sufficient only being drawn to leave a working space between the floor of broken ore and the back of the stope. 20. Effort, usually physical. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: Put some back into it! 21. A non-alcoholic drink (often water or a soft drink), to go with hard liquor or a cocktail. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Could I get a martini with a water back? 22. Among leather dealers, one of the thickest and stoutest tanned hides. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: […]as delivered by a tanner the average weight of a back and two strips would be about 42 pounds[…]. 23. Clipping of backstroke. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, uncountable