backstepping

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noun

A technique for designing stabilizing controls for a special recursive class of nonlinear dynamical systems.

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Meanings

nounbackstepping (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecontrol theoryA technique for designing stabilizing controls for a special recursive class of nonlinear dynamical systems.
  2. uncountablegeographyA gradual backward movement of organisms or a sedimentary environment caused by changes in environmental factors.

    Once the sea level stabilized again, the same group of corals grew once more, but farther inshore and up to 10 feet higher in elevation, a process known to geologists as backstepping.

    2009 April 16, Andrew C. Revkin, “Coral Fossils Suggest That Sea Level Can Rise Rapidly”, in New York Times

Origin

From back + stepping.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

backstepping. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backstepping

MLA

“backstepping.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backstepping. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backstepping,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backstepping.

Source: backstepping on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.