back and fill

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [bak and fil]
- /bæk ænd fɪl/
- /bæk ənd fɪl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bak and fil]
- /bæk ænd fɪl/

Definitions of back and fill words

noun back and fill to manoeuvre the sails by alternately filling and emptying them of wind to navigate in a narrow place 3
noun back and fill to vacillate in one's opinion 3
noun back and fill to handle sails so that they alternately spill wind and fill with wind, as in maneuvering in a narrow channel 3
noun back and fill to zigzag 3
noun back and fill to vacillate, as in a decision 3
noun back and fill the rear part of the human body, extending from the neck to the lower end of the spine. 1

See all 62 definitions of back and fill

Information block about the term

Origin of back and fill

First appearance:

before 1000

One of the 6% oldest English words

before 1000; Middle English bak, Old English bæc back of the body; cognate with Old Frisian bek, Old Saxon, Old Norse bak; perhaps < Indo-European *bhogo- bending; cf. bacon

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Back and fill

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Back and fill

back and fill popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

back and fill usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for back and fill

verb back and fill

shilly-shally — to show indecision or hesitation; be irresolute; vacillate.
beat around the bush — to talk around a subject without getting to the point
beg the question — If you say that something begs a particular question, you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect.
mince words — speak tentatively, tactfully

All 6 Synonyms of back and fill