backcloth
|back-cloth|
🇺🇸
/ˈbækklɔːθ/
🇬🇧
/ˈbækklɒθ/
rear cloth used as a background
Etymology
'backcloth' originates from English, specifically the words 'back' and 'cloth', where 'back' meant 'rear' or 'behind' and 'cloth' meant 'fabric'.
'backcloth' formed as a compound from Old English 'bæc' (meaning 'back') and 'clāþ' (meaning 'cloth'), with the modern theatrical sense 'a cloth hung at the back of a stage' attested from the 19th century.
Initially it meant 'a cloth at the back' in a literal, physical sense, but over time it has also been used figuratively to mean 'background' or 'setting' for events.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a large piece of cloth hung at the back of a stage to form a backdrop or scenery.
They painted a mountain scene on the backcloth for the play.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
(figurative) The background or setting against which events occur.
The economic crisis formed the backcloth to the political debates.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/25 19:58