Etymology

backhand

B3A1C3K5H4A1N1D2

Today it means: A stroke made across the chest from the off-hand side to the racquet hand side; a stroke during which the back of the hand faces the shot. Full definition →

English hand ← Middle English hond ← Old English hand
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeg-der.?
  2. Proto-Germanic*baką
  3. Proto-West Germanic*bak
  4. Old Englishbæc
  5. Middle Englishbak
  6. Englishback
  7. Proto-Germanic*handuz
  8. Proto-West Germanic*handu
  9. Old Englishhand
  10. Middle Englishhond
  11. Englishhand
  12. English todaybackhand

From back + hand.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.