adverb
- toward the back or rear; behind
- with the back or rear foremost
- in reverse: to spell a word backward
- in a way contrary to the normal or usual way
- toward earlier times; into the past
- from a better to a worse state
Origin:
ME bakward, for abakward < abak (< OE on bæc, back) + -ward (< OE -weard, toward)