GNU Dico
From GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English, version 0.54:
Back (băk), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Backed (băkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Backing.]
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1. To get upon the back of; to mount.
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I will back him [a horse] straight.
-- Shak.
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2. To place or seat upon the back. [R.]
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Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed,
Appeared to me.
-- Shak.
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3. To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, “to back oxen”.
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4. To make a back for; to furnish with a back; “as, to back books”.
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5. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of.
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A garden . . . with a vineyard backed.
-- Shak.
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The chalk cliffs which back the beach.
-- Huxley.
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6. To write upon the back of; as, “to back a letter”; to indorse; as, “to back a note or legal document”.
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7. To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or influence; as, “to back a friend”. “The Parliament would be backed by the people.”
Macaulay.
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Have still found it necessary to back and fortify their laws with rewards and punishments.
-- South.
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The mate backed the captain manfully.
-- Blackw. Mag.
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8. To bet on the success of; -- as, to back a race horse.
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To back an anchor (Naut.), to lay down a small anchor ahead of a large one, the cable of the small one being fastened to the crown of the large one. -- To back the field, in horse racing, to bet against a particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other horses, collectively designated “the field”, will win. -- To back the oars, to row backward with the oars. -- To back a rope, to put on a preventer. -- To back the sails, to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move astern. -- To back up, to support; to sustain; as, “to back up one's friends”. -- To back a warrant (Law), is for a justice of the peace, in the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or indorse a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender. -- To back water (Naut.), to reverse the action of the oars, paddles, or propeller, so as to force the boat or ship backward.
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From GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English, version 0.54:
Backing, n.
1. The act of moving backward, or of putting or moving anything backward.
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2. That which is behind, and forms the back of, anything, usually giving strength or stability.
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3. Support or aid given to a person or cause.
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4. (Bookbinding) The preparation of the back of a book with glue, etc., before putting on the cover.
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