English

Adverb

aback ‎(not comparable)

1. (archaic) Towards the back or rear; backwards. [First attested prior to 1150.]^[1]
   • (Can we date this quote?), Geoffrey Chaucer, (Please provide the title of the work):

     Therewith aback she started.

2. (archaic) In the rear; a distance behind. [First attested prior to 1150.]^[1]

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knolles to this entry?)

3. By surprise; startled; dumbfounded.
4. (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.]^[1]

   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.‎

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Totten to this entry?)

Usage notes

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

Translations

See also

• Category:English phrasal verbs with particle (aback)

Etymology 2

From abacus.

Noun

aback ‎(plural abacks)

1. (obsolete) An abacus.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

Translations

References

1. 1 2 3 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 2