behind

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɪˈhaɪnd/, /bəˈhaɪnd/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English bihinde (also behinde), inherited from Old English behindan (“at the back of, after”),^[2][3][4] a compound, from Old English bi (“by”) + hindan (“from behind”).^[2][5][6] It matches Old Saxon bihindan, and is related to German hinten (“behind”),^[3][6] and to English hind, hinder and hindmost.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

At the back of, after: Old English behindan, about 725, in a version of Exodus.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The preposition already existed in Old English.^[2] The figurative sense “not so far advanced” is from about 1200,^[2] and behind someone's back, “secretly”, from the late 14th century.^[2] Behindhand was formed in the 16th century after beforehand.^[7] A clock running slow has been behind since 1604.^[8] Behind the scenes comes from the theatre in 1711 and was used figuratively by 1779.^[2] Behind the times is from 1826.^[2] The noun, a euphemism for the buttocks, is from 1786.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 725 – Old English behindan.^[3]
• c. 1200 – not so far advanced.^[2]
• late 14th century – behind someone's back.^[2]
• 16th century – behindhand.^[7]
• 1604 – of a clock, slow.^[8]
• 1711 – behind the scenes.^[2]
• 1786 – noun, the buttocks.^[2]
• 1826 – behind the times.^[2]

Modern meaning

Preposition

1. At the back of; in the rear of.
2. On the far side of; beyond.
3. Later than; less advanced than: behind schedule.
4. Hidden by; underlying: the reason behind it.
5. In support of: we're behind you.

Adverb

1. In, to or toward the rear.
2. In a place that has been left: stay behind.
3. Late; in arrears.

Noun

1. (informal) The buttocks.

Word family

• behind-the-scenes
• behindhand

Related words

• hind
• hinder
• hindmost
• before

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
5. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)