'backspace' originates from English compounding of 'back' and 'space'; 'back' comes from Old English 'bæc' meaning 'rear' and 'space' ultimately from Latin 'spatium' (via Old French 'espace') meaning 'room' or 'space'.

'backspace' developed from the two-word form 'back space' used in typesetting and early typewriter instructions (meaning move the carriage one space backward) and later became the single word 'backspace' in computing to name the key and the action.

Initially, it referred to moving the carriage or cursor one space backward; over time it evolved to mean deleting characters to the left of the cursor via the backspace key.