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aback

[uh-bak]

Origin

adverb

toward the back.

Nautical. so that the wind presses against the forward side of the sail or sails.

adjective Nautical.

(of a sail) positioned so that the wind presses against the forward side.

(of a yard) positioned so that its sail is laid aback.

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Aback is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Idiom

taken aback, surprised and disconcerted: I was taken aback by his harsh criticism.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English abak, Old English on bæc to the rear. See a-¹ on, back¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To aback

Collins

World English Dictionary

aback (əˈbæk)

—*adv*
1.	taken aback
	a. startled or disconcerted
	b. nautical (of a vessel or sail) having the wind against the forward side so as to prevent forward motion
2.	rare towards the back; backwards

[Old English on bæc to the back]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

aback

O.E. on bæc, "at or on the back." Now surviving mainly in taken aback, originally a nautical expression for a sudden change of wind that flattens the square sails back against the masts and stops the forward motion of a ship (1754). The figurative sense is first recorded 1840.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

aback

see take aback.