Military Affairs (nonnaval)

The Oxford Companion to... The Oxford Pocket Dictionary... The Concise Oxford... The Oxford Essential... Further reading

aback

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | Copyright

aback, the situation of the sails of a square-rigged ship when the yards are trimmed to bring the wind to bear on their forward side. Sails are laid aback purposely to stop a ship's way through the water or to assist her in tacking; they are taken aback inadvertently when the ship is brought to by an unexpected change of wind or by the helmsman's lack of attention.

‘Lay all flat aback’ was the order in square-rigged ships to lay all sails aback in order to stop the ship and give her sternway. When lying at a single anchor such ships normally spread a mizzen topsail laid aback to prevent the vessel surging to the anchor and fouling it with her cable.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"aback." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"aback." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-aback.html

"aback." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-aback.html

Learn more about citation styles

aback

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

a·back / əˈbak/ • adv. 1. archaic toward or situated to the rear: the little strip of pasture aback of the house. 2. Sailing with the sail pressed backward against the mast by a headwind. PHRASES: take someone aback shock or surprise someone.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"aback." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"aback." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-aback.html

"aback." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-aback.html

Learn more about citation styles

aback

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

aback late OE. on bæc, i.e. ON, A-1 and BACK1. From XVII of the sails of a ship laid back against the mast, esp. ‘be taken aback’ XVIII; hence fig. (of persons) be discomfited (XIX). Aphetic BACK2.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

T. F. HOAD. "aback." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "aback." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-aback.html

T. F. HOAD. "aback." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-aback.html

Learn more about citation styles

aback

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Copyright

aback adv. (of a sail) pressed backward against the mast by a headwind.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"aback." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"aback." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-aback.html

"aback." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-aback.html

Learn more about citation styles

aback

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

aback •aback, alack, attack, back, black, brack, clack, claque, crack, Dirac, drack, flack, flak, hack, jack, Kazakh, knack, lack, lakh, mac, mach, Nagorno-Karabakh, pack, pitchblack, plaque, quack, rack, sac, sack, shack, shellac, slack, smack, snack, stack, tach, tack, thwack, track, vac, wack, whack, wrack, yak, Zack •cardiac • zodiac •haemophiliac (US hemophiliac), necrophiliac, sacroiliac •umiak •bibliomaniac, dipsomaniac, egomaniac, kleptomaniac, maniac, megalomaniac, monomaniac, nymphomaniac, pyromaniac •insomniac • celeriac • Syriac •hypochondriac • Mauriac • theriac •amnesiac •aphrodisiac, Dionysiac •Dayak, kayak •Kerouac • bivouac

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"aback." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"aback." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-aback.html

"aback." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-aback.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Bush "taken aback" by purported US threat to bomb Pakistan. News Wire article from: PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd.; 9/22/2006
	BROWN SAYS NO TO INDEPENDENCE VOTE; EXCLUSIVE Wendy's job on line as PM is... Newspaper article from: The Mirror (London, England); 5/7/2008
	SOMEWHAT taken aback, your [...].(Features) Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 6/10/2011