Where does “backlash” come from?
Backlash comes from English back and lash, with back deriving from French bac, Old French lacier, Old Swedish nattbakka, Latin bassus, Ancient Greek βάσις, and Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis meaning foundation or step.
backlash (English): A sudden backward motion; A negative reaction,...
Definitions
- A sudden backward motion; A negative reaction,...
Ancestry of “backlash”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | back- | Back "in its adverbial senses"; Situated,... |
| 2 | Middle English | bak- | — |
| 3 | Middle English | abak | backward, away |
| 4 | Old English | onbæc | backwards, back |
| 5 | Old English | on | on, in, at, among; from |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | ana | on |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *an | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ana | on, at; on, onto; ana |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |