abackPronunciation: /əˈbak/Translate aback | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of aback adverb 1 archaic towards or situated to the rear; back: the little strip of pasture aback of the house 2 Sailing with the sail pressed backwards against the mast by a headwind: Peter holds the jib aback until our bow swings across the windPhrases take someone aback shock or surprise someone:he was taken aback by her directnessOrigin: Old English on bæc (see a-2, back). The term came to be treated as a single word in nautical useaback in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of aback in the US English dictionary
