Where does “backwards” come from?
Backwards derives from English back with the English possessive suffix -'s, from Middle English -s, from Old Swedish nattbakka, from Latin bassus, from Ancient Greek βάσις, from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis.
backwards (English): Oriented toward the back; Reversed; Behind...
Definitions
- Oriented toward the back; Reversed; Behind...
Ancestry of “backwards”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | backward | In the direction towards the back; In the... |
| 2 | Middle English | bakwarde | — |
| 3 | English | -ward | Forming adverbs denoting course or direction to,... |
| 4 | Old English | -weard | Forming adjectives and nouns from adjectives or... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wardaz | turned; turned toward; facing; Alternative form... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | werþaz | worthy, valuable |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
Words derived from “backwards”