Where does “aback” come from?

Aback comes from Old English on bæc, combining Old English on from Proto-Germanic ana from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- meaning "in" with Old English bæc from Proto-Indo-European bʰog- meaning "back."

aback (English): Towards the back or rear; backwards; In the rear;...

Definitions

  1. Towards the back or rear; backwards; In the rear;...

Ancestry of “aback”, step by step

aback traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English abak

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishabakbackward, away
2Old Englishonbæcbackwards, back
3Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
4Proto-West Germanicanaon
5Proto-Germanic*an—
6Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via Latin abacus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinabacusa square board; sideboard; counting board, abacus
2Ancient Greekἄβαξboard, slab; reckoning board, abacus
3Hebrewאבקdust; hint of; A hole in cloth for the insertion...

Words derived from “aback”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →