backward-pointing
|back-ward-point-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˌbæk.wɚdˈpɔɪn.tɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˌbæk.wədˈpɔɪn.tɪŋ/
directed toward the back
Etymology
'backward-pointing' originates from modern English compounds combining 'backward' and 'pointing'; 'back' (Old English 'bæc') meant 'rear' and 'point' (via Old French 'point' from Latin 'punctum') meant 'point' or 'prick'.
'back' developed from Old English 'bæc' to Middle English 'bak' and modern English 'back'; 'point' came from Latin 'punctum' → Old French 'point' → Middle English 'point'; the adjective 'backward' formed with the Old English suffix '-ward', and the compound 'backward-pointing' was created in modern English by combining these elements.
Initially, the roots referred simply to the 'rear' ('back') and a 'point' or 'prick' ('point'); over time these elements were combined so that 'backward-pointing' came to mean 'directed toward the back' (literal) or 'indicating an earlier stage' (figurative).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
pointing toward the back or rear; directed toward the posterior side of something (literal, physical orientation).
The sculpture has backward-pointing spikes that protect its rear.
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Adjective 2
directed toward an earlier time or earlier stage (figurative use, e.g., an arrow or indicator pointing to a previous entry or step).
On the timeline, the backward-pointing arrow marks the previous phase of the project.
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Last updated: 2025/11/29 12:33