Where does “bak-” come from?

bak- (Middle English) comes 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.

Ancestry of “bak-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishabakbackward, away
2Old Englishonbæcbackwards, back
3Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
4Proto-West Germanicanaon
5Proto-Germanic*an—
6Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “bak-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana →Every word from Proto-Germanic *an →
bak- — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer