Aback

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /əˈbæk/
• GenAm IPA: /əˈbæk/
• Rhymes: -æk

• From Middle English abak, from Old English on ("at, on, or toward") + bæc ("back").
• -("towards") + back("back").

Full definition of aback

Adverb

1. (archaic) Towards the back or rear; backwards. First attested prior to 1150.

• unknown date, Geoffrey ChaucerTherewith aback she started.
1. (archaic) In the rear; a distance behind. First attested prior to 1150.
2. By surprise; startled; dumbfounded.
3. (nautical) Backward against the mast; said of the sails when pressed by the wind from the "wrong" (forward) side, or of a ship when its sails are set that way. First attested in the late 17^th century.By setting the foresail aback and the headsail in the middle one can bring a fore-and-aft rigged sailing boat practically to a halt even in heavy wind.

Usage notes

(by surprise) Preceded by a form of the word take.

From abacus.

Noun

1. (obsolete) An abacus.