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aback

Syllabification: (a·back)
Pronunciation: /əˈbak/
Translate aback | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of aback

adverb

  • 1 archaic toward or situated to the rear:the little strip of pasture aback of the house
  • 2 Sailing with the sail pressed backward against the mast by a headwind.

Phrases

take someone aback

shock or surprise someone:he was taken aback by the sharpness in her voice

Origin:

Old English on bæc. Long written as two words, the term came to be treated as a single word in nautical use

aback in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of aback in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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