2 entries 1 source
Aback
Open directlyWebster's 1828 Dictionary · 1828 1 of 2
Part of speech: noun (n.)
An abacus. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary · 1828 2 of 2
Part of speech: adverb (adv.)
1. Toward the back or rear; backward. "Therewith aback she started." Chaucer.
2. Behind; in the rear. Knolles.
3. Backward against the mast;-said of the sails when pressed by the wind. Totten. 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.