'backhand' originates from English, specifically a compound of the words 'back' and 'hand', where 'back' originally meant 'rear' and 'hand' meant 'hand'.

'back' and 'hand' derive from Old English words 'bæc' and 'hand' respectively; the compound 'backhand' emerged in Modern English to describe a stroke or blow delivered from the back/other side (recorded in sports usage by the 19th century).

Initially the components literally referred to the 'back' + 'hand'; over time the compound came to denote a particular stroke or blow delivered with the back of the hand or the reverse side of a racket, and later acquired figurative senses (e.g. indirect insult).