ENGLISH ROOT WORD: back "back." from Old English bæc

【back】 is a [English Root word(stem)] from the Old English word(s) "bæc." It carries the basic meaning of "back."

[English words in the top 5000 most frequently used containing the root "back"]

back ****[113] .in, toward, or at the back or rear
background ****[1362] Your background is the kind of family you come from and the kind of education you have had. It can also refer to such things as your social and racial origins, your financial status, or the type of work experience that you have.
backward **[4063] A backward movement or look is in the direction that your back is facing. Some people use backwards for this meaning.
backwards **[3868] If you move or look backwards, you move or look in the direction that your back is facing.

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[WORD ROOT]root back
[VARIATIONS OF ROOT] back
[ETYMOLOGY]root (Old English) bæc
[MEANING]root back

【DETAILs OF ORIGIN(ETYMOLOGY】

• 【Old English】 bæc [from Proto-Germanic *bakam] back
• 【Old Norse】 bac

Please see the Word information in detail as follows;

 

★★★★(top 2,000) ★★★(top 3,500) ★★(top 4,500) ☆(top 6,000)

back ★★★★[113] adverb from back
【DEFINITION】 ① .in, toward, or at the back or rear
② to, toward, or in the place where someone or something was previously
③ in or into the past; backward in time
【ANTONYM】 forward
【ROOTs】 back; back
【Etymology】 《Old English bæc》 [from Proto-Germanic *bakam] back
【First Known Meaning】 to or toward the rear or the original starting place; in the past; behind in position

background ★★★★[1362] noun from ground
【DEFINITION】 Your background is the kind of family you come from and the kind of education you have had. It can also refer to such things as your social and racial origins, your financial status, or the type of work experience that you have.
【pl.】 backgrounds
【COMPOSITION】 back + ground
【ROOTs】 ⑴ back; back ⑵ ground; ground
【Etymology】 《Old English grund》 bottom; foundation; surface of the earth; abyss, Hell

backward ★★[4063] adjective from backward 〈 back
【DEFINITION】 A backward movement or look is in the direction that your back is facing. Some people use backwards for this meaning.
【SYNONYM】 retrograde
【ANTONYM】 forward
【COMPOSITION】 back + ward
【ROOTs】 ⑴ back; back ⑵ ward; suffix
【Etymology】 《Middle English abacward》
【DERIVATIVEs】 backwardly, backwardness, backward

backwards ★★[3868] adverb from backward 〈 back
【DEFINITION】 If you move or look backwards, you move or look in the direction that your back is facing.
【ANTONYM】 forward, forward
【COMPOSITION】 backward + s
【ROOTs】 ⑴ back; back ⑵ ward; suffix ⑶ s; adverb suffix
【Etymology】 《Middle English abacward》

Other words containing "back"; aback, backing, backwardly, backwardness, comeback, feedback, paperback

(※ Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the theorized common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages.)

【OTHER ROOTs; 】

auto
aug-, auct-
art
arm
arch, archi, archy
ante
anni-, ann-, enn-
an
alter
alli

 

 

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