Associations to the word «Aback»
Wiktionary
ABACK, adverb. (archaic) Towards the back or rear; backwards. [First attested prior to 1150.]
ABACK, adverb. (archaic) In the rear; a distance behind. [First attested prior to 1150.]
ABACK, adverb. By surprise; startled; dumbfounded.
ABACK, adverb. (nautical) Backward against the mast; said of the sails when pressed by the wind from the "wrong" (forward) side, or of a ship when its sails are set that way. [First attested in the late 17th century.]
ABACK, noun. (obsolete) An abacus.
Dictionary definition
ABACK, adverb. Having the wind against the forward side of the sails; "the ship came up into the wind with all yards aback".
ABACK, adverb. By surprise; "taken aback by the caustic remarks".
Wise words
Words to me were magic. You could say a word and it could
conjure up all kinds of images or feelings or a chilly
sensation or whatever. It was amazing to me that words had
this power.