Where does “aback of” come from?
aback of (English) comes from English aback, from Middle English abak, from Old English onbæc, from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.
aback of (English): Behind; on the other side of
Definitions
- Behind; on the other side of
Ancestry of “aback of”, step by step
aback of traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English aback
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | aback | Towards the back or rear; backwards; In the rear;... |
| 2 | Middle English | abak | backward, away |
| 3 | Old English | onbæc | backwards, back |
| 4 | Old English | on | on, in, at, among; from |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | ana | on |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *an | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ana | on, at; on, onto; ana |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |