adv. | 1. | Toward the back or rear; backward. | ||||||
2. | Behind; in the rear. | |||||||
3. | (Naut.) Backward against the mast; - said of the sails when pressed by the wind.
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n. | 1. | An abacus. |
Adv. | 1. | aback - having the wind against the forward side of the sails; "the ship came up into the wind with all yards aback" |
2. | aback - by surprise; "taken aback by the caustic remarks" |