backhaul
|back-haul|
🇺🇸
/ˈbæk.hɑl/
🇬🇧
/ˈbæk.hɔːl/
return transport / return link
Etymology
'backhaul' originates from English, specifically the compound of Old English 'bæc' (back) and Middle English/Old English root 'halen'/'halian' (to pull or draw), where 'bæc' meant 'rear' or 'back' and 'halian' meant 'to pull/haul'.
'backhaul' developed as a two-word phrase 'back haul' in transport usage (early 20th century), then appeared hyphenated as 'back-haul' and eventually became the single word 'backhaul', and later the term was extended metaphorically to telecommunications to mean the return link carrying traffic to the core.
Initially, it meant 'a haul made on the return trip' in freight and transport; over time it broadened to include 'the link or transmission that carries traffic back to a network core' in telecommunications.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a return load or return trip in freight/transportation — cargo carried on the trip back to the origin to avoid running empty.
They arranged a backhaul for the return trip to reduce empty miles.
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Noun 2
in telecommunications and networking, the intermediate link that carries traffic from distributed sites or access points back to a central network or core (often called a backhaul link).
The mobile operator upgraded the backhaul to increase capacity for data traffic.
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Verb 1
to transport goods on a return trip (to carry cargo back toward the origin).
They often backhaul empty trucks with produce to the city.
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Last updated: 2025/12/26 09:02