Where does “taken aback” come from?
taken aback (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.
taken aback (English): Surprised, shocked; Said of a ship, when the...
Definitions
- Surprised, shocked; Said of a ship, when the...
Ancestry of “taken aback”, step by step
taken aback 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 |
via English taken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | taken | Infatuated; fond of or attracted to; In a serious... |
| 2 | Middle English | taken | to take; Alternative form of token; Alternative... |
| 3 | Old English | tācen | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | tekinn | past participle of taka; take, took, taken |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tēkanaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tēkaną | to touch; to grasp |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₁g- | to touch |