back·drop

[bak-drop] noun, verb, back·dropped or back·dropt, back·drop·ping.
noun
1.
Also called, especially British, back-cloth. Theater. the rear curtain of a stage setting.
2.
the background of an event; setting.
3.
Gymnastics. a maneuver in which a trampolinist jumps in the air, lands on the back with the arms and legs pointed upward, and then springs up to a standing position.
verb (used with object)
4.
to provide a setting or background for: A vast mountain range backdrops the broad expanse of lake.

Origin:
1910–15, Americanism; back1 + drop

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To backdrop
00:10
Backdrop is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
to bark; yelp.
Collins
World English Dictionary
backdrop (ˈbækˌdrɒp) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  another name for backcloth
2.  the background to any scene or situation

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

backdrop
1913, in U.S. theatrical argot, from back + drop.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The setting is also used as a backdrop for some incredibly large and gorgeous
  areas.
The sands sparkle against a backdrop of towering granite boulders, worn by time
  and weather.
The flurry of activity came against the backdrop of another big sell-off in
  markets.
The city's emptying streets and many abandoned factories were seen as the
  perfect real-life backdrop for the city's war scenes.
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