Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “backs” come from?

Backs comes from English back, from French bac, from Middle English bakke, from Old Swedish nattbakka, from Latin bassus, from Ancient Greek βάσις, from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis.

backs (English): plural of back; The backyard of the University;...

Definitions

  1. plural of back; The backyard of the University;...

Ancestry of “backs”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbackNear the rear; Not current; Far from the main...
2Frenchbacferry; vat; high school exit exam in France; A...
3Frenchbaccalauréatbaccalaureat; bachelor's degree
4Medieval Latinbaccalaureatusbachelor's degree
5Latinbaccalaureusbachelor
6Latinlaurealaurel, bay tree; crown, wreath or branch of...
7Latinlauruslaurel tree; laurels; a crown of laurel
8English-aceousOf, relating to, resembling or containing the...
9Latin-āceus—
10Latin-āx—
11Latin-iumSuffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes...
12Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
13Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
14Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “backs”

  • stringbacks
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →