backspacing
|back-space-ing|
/ˈbækˌspeɪsɪŋ/
(backspace)
move or delete one space/character backward
Etymology
'backspace' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'back' and 'space'; 'back' ultimately comes from Old English 'bæc' meaning 'back', and 'space' comes via Old French 'espace' from Latin 'spatium' meaning 'room, area'.
'backspace' developed as a compound (often written 'back-space') in the era of typewriters to mean moving the carriage back one space; it was later applied to the key on typewriters and computers and then verbified to form 'to backspace' and its verbal forms such as 'backspaced' and 'backspacing'.
Initially it meant 'move the carriage or cursor back by one space'; over time it came to be used more specifically as 'delete the character to the left of the cursor' in computing contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the action or process of backspacing; the act of deleting characters by pressing the Backspace key.
Too much backspacing can slow down your typing.
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Verb 1
present-participle form of 'backspace': performing the action of using the Backspace key (or its equivalent) to move the cursor left or delete the character to the left of the cursor.
She kept backspacing to correct the typo.
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Last updated: 2025/12/27 11:38