Back

Pronunciation: băk

A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc.

Hop back
the cistern which receives the infusion of malt and hops from the copper.

Wash back
a vat in which distillers ferment the wort to form wash.

Water back
a cistern to hold a supply of water; esp. a small cistern at the back of a stove, or a group of pipes set in the fire box of a stove or furnace, through which water circulates and is heated.

A ferryboat. See Bac, 1.

In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending from the neck to the end of the spine; in other animals, that part of the body which corresponds most nearly to such part of a human being; as, the back of a horse, fish, or lobster.

An extended upper part, as of a mountain or ridge.

[The mountains] their broad bare backs upheave
Into the clouds.

- Milton.

The outward or upper part of a thing, as opposed to the inner or lower part; as, the back of the hand, the back of the foot, the back of a hand rail.

Methought Love pitying me, when he saw this,
Gave me your hands, the backs and palms to kiss.

- Donne.

The part opposed to the front; the hinder or rear part of a thing; as, the back of a book; the back of an army; the back of a chimney.

The part opposite to, or most remote from, that which fronts the speaker or actor; or the part out of sight, or not generally seen; as, the back of an island, of a hill, or of a village.

The part of a cutting tool on the opposite side from its edge; as, the back of a knife, or of a saw.

A support or resource in reserve.

This project
Should have a back or second, that might hold,
If this should blast in proof.

- Shak.

(Naut.) The keel and keelson of a ship.

(Mining) The upper part of a lode, or the roof of a horizontal underground passage.

10.

A garment for the back; hence, clothing.

A bak to walken inne by daylight.

- Chaucer.

Behind one's back
when one is absent; without one's knowledge; as, to ridicule a person behind his back.

Full back
(Football) players stationed behind those in the front line.

To be on one's back
to be helpless.

To put one's back up
to assume an attitude of obstinate resistance (from the action of a cat when attacked).

To see the back of
to get rid of.

To turn the back
to go away; to flee.

To turn the back on one
to forsake or neglect him.

Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements.

Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent.

Moving or operating backward; as, back action.

Back blocks
Australian pastoral country which is remote from the seacoast or from a river.

Back charges
charges brought forward after an account has been made up.

Back filling
(Arch.) the mass of materials used in filling up the space between two walls, or between the inner and outer faces of a wall, or upon the haunches of an arch or vault.

Back pressure
(Steam Engine) See under Pressure.

Back rest
a guide attached to the slide rest of a lathe, and placed in contact with the work, to steady it in turning.

Back slang
a kind of slang in which every word is written or pronounced backwards; as, nam for man.

Back stairs
stairs in the back part of a house; private stairs. Also used adjectively. See Back stairs, Backstairs, and Backstair, in the Vocabulary.

Back step
(Mil.) the retrograde movement of a man or body of men, without changing front.

Back stream
a current running against the main current of a stream; an eddy.

To take the back track
to retrace one's steps; to retreat.

v. t.

To get upon the back of; to mount.

I will back him [a horse] straight.

- Shak.

To place or seat upon the back.

Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed,
Appeared to me.

- Shak.

To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, to back oxen.

To make a back for; to furnish with a back; as, to back books.

To adjoin behind; to be at the back of.

A garden . . . with a vineyard backed.

- Shak.

The chalk cliffs which back the beach.

- Huxley.

To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to back a note or legal document.

To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or influence; as, to back a friend.

Have still found it necessary to back and fortify their laws with rewards and punishments.

- South.

The mate backed the captain manfully.

- Blackw. Mag.

To bet on the success of; - as, to back a race horse.

To back an anchor
(Naut.) to lay down a small anchor ahead of a large one, the cable of the small one being fastened to the crown of the large one.

To back the field
in horse racing, to bet against a particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other horses, collectively designated "the field", will win.

To back the oars
to row backward with the oars.

To back a rope
to put on a preventer.

To back the sails
to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move astern.

To back up
to support; to sustain; as, to back up one's friends.

To back a warrant
(Law) is for a justice of the peace, in the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or indorse a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender.

To back water
(Naut.) to reverse the action of the oars, paddles, or propeller, so as to force the boat or ship backward.

v. i.

To move or go backward; as, the horse refuses to back.

(Naut.) To change from one quarter to another by a course opposite to that of the sun; - used of the wind.

(Sporting) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed; - said of a dog.

To back and fill
to manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind.
To take opposite positions alternately; to assert and deny.

To back out
to retreat or withdraw from a promise, engagement, or contest; to recede.

Cleon at first . . . was willing to go; but, finding that he [Nicias] was in earnest, he tried to back out.

- Jowett (Thucyd.

adv.

In, to, or toward, the rear; as, to stand back; to step back.

To the place from which one came; to the place or person from which something is taken or derived; as, to go back for something left behind; to go back to one's native place; to put a book back after reading it.

To a former state, condition, or station; as, to go back to private life; to go back to barbarism.

Of time) In times past; ago.

Away from contact; by reverse movement.

The angel of the Lord . . . came, and rolled back the stone from the door.

- Matt. xxviii. 2.

In concealment or reserve; in one's own possession; as, to keep back the truth; to keep back part of the money due to another.

In a state of restraint or hindrance.

The Lord hath kept thee back from honor.

- Numb. xxiv. 11.

In return, repayment, or requital.

What have I to give you back?

- Shak.

In withdrawal from a statement, promise, or undertaking; as, he took back the offensive words.

10.

In arrear; as, to be back in one's rent.

Back and forth
backwards and forwards; to and fro.

To go back on
to turn back from; to abandon; to betray; as, to go back on a friend; to go back on one's professions.

Noun	1.	back - the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine; "his back was nicely tanned" Synonyms: dorsum
	2.	back - the side that goes last or is not normally seen; "he wrote the date on the back of the photograph" Synonyms: rear
	3.	back - the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer; "he stood at the back of the stage"; "it was hidden in the rear of the store" Synonyms: rear Antonyms: front - the part of something that is nearest to the normal viewer; "he walked to the front of the stage"
	4.	back - (football) a person who plays in the backfield
	5.	back - the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; "the fall broke his back" Synonyms: spinal column, spine, vertebral column, rachis, backbone
	6.	back - the front and back covering of a book; "the book had a leather binding" Synonyms: book binding, cover, binding
	7.	back - the part of a garment that covers your back; "they pinned a `kick me' sign on his back"
	8.	back - a support that you can lean against while sitting; "the back of the dental chair was adjustable" Synonyms: backrest
	9.	back - the position of a player on a football team who is stationed behind the line of scrimmage
Verb	1.	back - be behind; approve of; "He plumped for the Labor Party"; "I backed Kennedy in 1960" Synonyms: endorse, indorse, plump for, plunk for, support
	2.	back - travel backward; "back into the driveway"; "The car backed up and hit the tree"
	3.	back - give support or one's approval to; "I'll second that motion"; "I can't back this plan"; "endorse a new project" Synonyms: second, endorse, indorse
	4.	back - cause to travel backward; "back the car into the parking spot" Antonyms: bring forward, advance - cause to move forward; "Can you move the car seat forward?"
	5.	back - support financial backing for; "back this enterprise"
	6.	back - be in back of; "My garage backs their yard" Antonyms: front, face, look - be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point; be opposite to; "The house looks north"; "My backyard look onto the pond"; "The building faces the park"
	7.	back - place a bet on; "Which horse are you backing?"; "I'm betting on the new horse" Synonyms: bet on, gage, game, stake, punt
	8.	back - shift to a counterclockwise direction; "the wind backed" Antonyms: veer - shift to a clockwise direction; "the wind veered"
	9.	back - establish as valid or genuine; "Can you back up your claims?" Synonyms: back up
	10.	back - strengthen by providing with a back or backing
Adj.	1.	back - related to or located at the back; "the back yard"; "the back entrance" Antonyms: front - relating to or located in the front; "the front lines"; "the front porch"
	2.	back - located at or near the back of an animal; "back (or hind) legs"; "the hinder part of a carcass" Synonyms: hind, hinder
	3.	back - of an earlier date; "back issues of the magazine"
Adv.	1.	back - in or to or toward a former location; "she went back to her parents' house"
	2.	back - at or to or toward the back or rear; "he moved back"; "tripped when he stepped backward"; "she looked rearward out the window of the car" Synonyms: backward, backwards, rearward, rearwards
	3.	back - in or to or toward an original condition; "he went back to sleep"
	4.	back - in or to or toward a past time; "set the clocks back an hour"; "never look back"; "lovers of the past looking fondly backward" Synonyms: backward Antonyms: ahead, forward - toward the future; forward in time; "I like to look ahead in imagination to what the future may bring"; "I look forward to seeing you"
	5.	back - in answer; "he wrote back three days later"; "had little to say in reply to the questions" Synonyms: in reply
	6.	back - in repayment or retaliation; "we paid back everything we had borrowed"; "he hit me and I hit him back"; "I was kept in after school for talking back to the teacher"

To dream of your back, represents your attitudes, strengths, burdens and stance in the world. It may also relate to stress and pressure that someone is putting on you. To see a naked back in your dream, symbolizes secrets that you may have kept from others or aspects of yourself that you have kept hidden and shielded away. Consider the pun, "watch your back!"; this dream may be telling you to do just that. Traditionally, seeing a back in your dream, forewarns that you should not lend money to anyone. In particular, lending money to friends will cause a rift in your relationship. To see a person turn their back on you, signifies that you will be deeply hurt as a result of envy and jealousy.a priori, a rebours, a reculons, abandon, abet, accented, acknowledgments, advance, advocate, affirm, afford support, aft, after, aftermost, afterpart, afterpiece, again, against the grain, ago, aid, alpenstock, alveolar, alveolar ridge, alveolus, angel, ante, ante up, anticlockwise, apex, apical, apico-alveolar, apico-dental, arear, arena, arm, around, arrested, articulated, arytenoid cartilages, ascend, ascender, ascending, aside, ass-backwards, assimilated, assure, astern, athletic supporter, attest, authenticate, away, axial, back away, back door, back matter, back of beyond, back off, back seat, back side, back up, back when, back-country, back-flowing, backbone, backdrop, background, backing, backpedal, backside, backstop, backtrack, backtrail, backward, backwards, backwater, backwood, backwoods, backwoodsy, bandeau, bankroll, bankrupt, barytone, bastard title, bastard type, be sponsor for, bear, bear out, bear up, beard, bearer, behind, behindhand, belated, belly, bestraddle, bestride, bet, bet on, bevel, bibliography, bilabial, black letter, blade, blocked, board, body, bolster, bolster up, bond, boost, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brassiere, break, breech, broad, budge, buoy up, buttress, by, cacuminal, call, cane, cap, capital, capitalize, carrier, carry, case, cast off, catch line, catchword, central, cerebral, certify, cervix, champion, change, change place, chasing, checked, circle, circumstantiate, climb, climb on, colophon, come after, come last, commend, confirm, consonant, consonantal, contents, contents page, continuant, copyright page, corroborate, corset, counter, counterclockwise, countermarch, countersecure, cover, cradle, crook, crush, crutch, cry up, cushion, deceitfully, dedication, defeat, delayed, delayed-action, dental, deny, descend, descender, descending, destroy, detained, disavow, disown, disregard, dissimilated, distance, distant, document, dorsal, dorsal region, dorsum, down-trending, downward, drifting, due, early, ebb, elect, em, en, encourage, endleaf, endpaper, endsheet, ensure, errata, ex post facto, extremity, fade, fail, fall astern, fall back, fall behind, fat-faced type, feet, field, finance, flat, flowing, fluent, flying, flyleaf, folio, follow, following, font, for a consideration, fore edge, foreword, forsake, fortify, foundation garment, fro, front matter, frontier, fulcrum, fund, furtively, gamble, get behind, get in, get in behind, get on, get over, girdle, give support, glide, glossal, glottal, go, go aboard, go around, go astern, go back, go back on, go backwards, go into reverse, go on board, go round, go sideways, going, gone by, groove, ground, grubstake, guarantee, guaranty, guttural, guy, guywire, gyrate, gyrational, gyratory, half-title page, hard, hard palate, hard pressed, hazard, head, heavy, heel, held up, helpless, high, hind, hind end, hind part, hinder, hindermost, hindhand, hindhead, hindmost, hindward, hindwards, hinterland, hold, hold up, hop in, hung up, hype, ignore, imprint, in a bind, in abeyance, in arrear, in arrears, in back of, in compensation, in consideration, in reserve, in return, in reverse, in times past, index, inscription, insidiously, insure, into the past, intonated, introduction, invest in, isolated, italic, jammed, jock, jockstrap, jump in, keep afloat, keep up, labial, labiodental, labiovelar, lag behind, larynx, late, lateral, latish, lax, lay, lay a wager, lay down, leaf, lend support, letter, ligature, light, lingual, lips, liquid, locale, logotype, loin, low, lower case, mainstay, maintain, maintainer, majuscule, make a bet, make sternway, makeup, mast, master, mature, meet a bet, mid, minuscule, mise-en-scene, monophthongal, moratory, mount, mounting, move, move over, muted, narrow, nasal, nasal cavity, nasalized, neck, never on time, nick, nominate, obstructed, occiput, occlusive, open, oral cavity, outback, outlandish, outlying, outstanding, overcome, overdue, owed, owing, oxytone, page, palatal, palatalized, palate, parlay, pass, passing, past due, patronize, pay for, payable, pharyngeal, pharyngeal cavity, pharyngealized, pharynx, phonemic, phonetic, phonic, pi, pica, pile in, pillow, pitch, pitched, play against, plug, plunge, plunging, point, postern, posttonic, preface, preliminaries, primitive, print, privately, probate, progressive, promote, prop, prove, provide for, puff, punt, pursuing, rachis, raw, rear end, rearmost, rearward, rearwards, receivable, recommend, recto, redeemable, refinance, reflex, reflowing, refluent, regress, regressive, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, reject, reminiscently, remote, renege, repudiate, rest, resting place, retarded, retract, retrad, retral, retreat, retroactive, retroactively, retrocede, retroflex, retrograde, retrogress, retrogressive, retrospective, retrospectively, reverse, reversed, reverso, revert, ridge, rigging, rigidify, rise, rising, roman, rotary, rotate, rotational, rotatory, rough, round, round about, rounded, ruin, run, run interference for, running, running title, rushing, sans serif, scene, screw up, script, secretly, secure, see, semivowel, service, set up, setting, shank, shift, shore, shore up, shoulder, shroud, side with, sideward, sign, sign for, signature, since, sink, sinking, slow, slyly, small cap, small capital, sneakily, soar, soaring, soft, soft palate, sonant, speak highly of, speak warmly of, speak well of, speech organ, spin, spinal column, spine, sponsor, sprit, staff, stage, stage set, stage setting, stake, stamp, stand back of, stand behind, stand by, stand pat, stand up for, standing rigging, stave, stay, stem, stern, stick, stick by, stick up for, stiffen, stiffener, stir, stopped, stream, streaming, strengthen, strengthener, stressed, strong, subscribe to, subside, subsidize, substantiate, subtitle, subvene, subvention, supporter, surd, surreptitiously, sustain, sustainer, syllabic, sylvan, syrinx, table of contents, tail, tail end, tailpiece, take sides with, tardy, teeth, teeth ridge, tense, text, theater, thick, throaty, tighten, tip, title, title page, to the rear, tonal, tongue, tonic, tout, trail, trail behind, travel, treacherously, trice up, trim size, turned around, twangy, type, type body, type class, type lice, type page, typecase, typeface, typefounders, typefoundry, unaccented, uncivilized, uncultivated, underbrace, undergird, underlie, underpin, underset, undersign, underwrite, undeveloped, uninhabited, unoccupied, unpaid, unpopulated, unpunctual, unready, unrounded, unsettled, unstressed, untimely, up-country, up-trending, upbear, uphold, upholder, upkeep, upper case, upward, validate, vanquish, velar, velum, verify, verso, vertebrae, vertebral column, virgin, vocal chink, vocal cords, vocal folds, vocal processes, vocalic, vocoid, voice box, voiced, voiceless, vote, vowel, vowellike, wager, walking stick, wane, warrant, waste, weak, whirl, widdershins, wide, wild, wilderness, withdraw from, without hope, woodland, wrong-way, wrong-way around

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