Aback
Aback (ȧ*bak") , adverb
[Prefix a- + back; Anglo-Saxon on bac at, on, or toward the back. See Back.]
1.
Toward the back or rear; backward.
Therewith aback she started.
2.
Behind; in the rear. — Knolles
3.
(Nautical) Backward against the mast; -- said of the sails when pressed by the wind. — Totten
Collocations (1)
To be taken aback , (a) To be driven backward against the mast; -- said of the sails, also of the ship when the sails are thus driven. (b) To be suddenly checked, baffled, or discomfited. — Dickens
Aback (ab"ak) , noun
An abacus. [Obsolete] — B. Jonson